


Consorting with Demons

by BurnerAccount



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Demon Deals, Demons, M/M, Older!Dipper, Sexual Content, au-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3886801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurnerAccount/pseuds/BurnerAccount
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill has plans, Stan has secrets, Mabel has sweaters, and Dipper has way more than usual to worry about. </p><p>He's attracted the wrong kind of attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dipper woke from uneasy dreams to the sound of shouting. He rolled over and groaned, letting one forearm fall over his eyes. Sounded like Stan was back from his trip. Dipper and Mabel had been minding the place for him while he’d been away - they’d worked there summer after summer for years and knew their way around. If Stan was mad about something they’d done while he was on vacation, whatever. He was going to try to get back to sleep.

A loud noise exploded from below, like a gunshot or a bomb. Dipper sat up, kicking off the blanket. The shouting continued, and he ran down the stairs. Alert from the sudden adrenaline, he noticed that Stan’s yelling wasn’t just angry - it was downright _furious_.

The words came into focus as Dipper reached the door to the shop floor. He opened it, pausing in the doorway.

“-and if you think for even _one instant_ I’m letting you anywhere near my niece, you can think again!”

Mabel stood next to the open front door of the Shack, the entrance exposing the cool and moonless night. Stan stood by the counter, a shotgun in his hands. In between the two, looking oddly relaxed for someone who had presumably been shot at, was a tall, lean man wearing a yellow tailcoat. He was turned towards the outside door, facing slightly away from Dipper. A window near him was shattered, the remnants of a warning shot.

Dipper took all of this in, and shook his head in astonishment.

Usually when Mabel brought one of her boyfriends around, Stan had the shotgun hanging up somewhere in the Shack, but it was just so he could casually glance at it when the young man in question introduced himself. He’d never thought it would see actual use. He hadn’t known his Grunkle even knew  _how_  to use it.

“Grunkle Stan, wait,” Mabel had collected herself. “It’s not like that, I just- Why are you even firing guns indoors?! That’s dangerous!”

Stan rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “It’s loaded with rock salt, sweetie,” He said. The man in yellow tensed slightly. “And I can see for myself what it looks like.” Stan’s glare focused on his target. “So one last time. You stay the hell away from my niece.”

Dipper took a closer look at the stranger. Besides the odd coat, he wore black leather shoes, soft black leather gloves, and carried a hat tucked under his arm. Maybe a bit more roguish than Mabel’s usual type, and maybe in his twenties - maybe a large enough gap in age had ticked Stan off -

The man turned, part of his face coming into view, and as he did a single gold eye caught sight of Dipper. He grinned. His teeth were just a little too sharp, his face just a little too perfect. Something supernatural, Dipper realized in a flash, rock salt would be a good deterrent - hell, he was with Grunkle Stan on this one, Mabel couldn’t possibly date a monster, no matter how cool she still thought vampires were.

“Well, who am I to argue?” The monster said easily, taking a few steps backward, away from Stan. “Wouldn’t even dream of laying a hand on Mabel here.” He crossed his heart, smile widening unnaturally. “Your grandniece is as safe as anything from me, Pines. Deal?”

Stan glared, but he lowered the shotgun just a fraction. “Just get the hell out of here.” He grumbled.

“Sure, not a problem,” One of the man’s hands went behind his back and made a series of small gestures that only Dipper could see. A spell? “There’s just one little thing.”

Dipper took two steps forward into the room. He wasn’t going to let this creature cast anything while Stan’s guard was lowered. He was about to shout a warning when the man darted nimbly in his direction, faster than he’d expected, and caught him around the neck with one arm. He was pulled in, and held up like a human shield.

“You see,” His captor said brightly, “I never said anything about your nephew.”

Dipper kicked at him, hard, tried to pull the arm away from his throat, but of course this would have to be one of the stronger-than-human creatures. He choked, unable to breathe. He had a moment to look at his family - Mabel’s face surprised, Stan’s red with fury - before the monster raised his free hand and snapped his fingers once. Everything went dark.

———————————-

Dipper awoke in bed. He stared at the ceiling. That was different, since when did the Shack have- he propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. The room was empty, except for the absurdly huge bed, and there were no visible doors.

Cursing himself silently, he took one deep, slow breath, then another. Fine. He’d read the journal a thousand times, no, two thousand, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t been in his fair share of dangerous situations. Better he was the one captured than Mabel.

Wherever he was, he had arrived with only the things on him - which was just a pair of worn pyjama pants. The first thing to do was figure out what he was up against.

He touched both sides of his neck and checked his wrists, but found no bites. Probably not a vampire, then - one small favor. The bedframe looked too sturdy to break into stakes, and the yellow-gold bedsheets and pillows would be useless. The bed was the only thing in the room, too, so his options would be extremely limited in a fight.

He thought of what he’d seen of the creature before it had taken him, and in short order he ruled out several options. Ghouls were too ugly, elves, too short. Werewolves probably would have gnawed on him a bit, and he didn’t feel any hairier. He ran through a few more possibilities, eliminating them, when with a sudden shock, he felt a soft leather glove rest on his shoulder.

He froze, hardly breathing. Of course.

An incubus.

Mabel had run into an incubus somewhere, and it had lured her in. When she’d brought it back home, unaware she was about to become some kind of soul-snack, Stan had returned from his vacation. And Stan knew more than a thing or two about the supernatural - no wonder he’d shot at the damned thing. Dipper wished he’d shot it twice and kicked it out the door the moment he’d figured it out.

Now it had him instead. And he didn’t have much time before it started filling his mind with uncontrollable-

He wouldn’t, of course, he could resist mental influences, but he’d never faced this type. He felt uncertain, and it gnawed at him.

Still, he knew the right incantation for this kind of demon. Before it could start invading his thoughts, he reached up and grabbed the hand by the wrist. He didn’t dare to look over and offer the demon another way to control him, so he kept his eyes closed, and started chanting.

He stopped halfway through the spell at the noise. And glanced over. He’d thought the hand had been pulling away from the force of his banishment spell, but instead, he saw the man from the shop sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back, breathless with laughter.

Dipper let go of his wrist quickly, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He’d guessed wrong, but there might be time to find a weapon, or a different spell-

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, kid,” The demon grinned at him, wheezing a little as he spoke. “Talk about barking up the wrong tree! Honestly, I usually think someone trying to banish me is insulting, but mistaking me for  _that_  kind of demon? What’s going on in there anyway?” He reached out and tapped Dipper on the forehead.

Dipper stared for a moment. Then he groaned and let his face fall into his hands.

“Hello, Bill.” He said, through gritted teeth.

“Man, it has been a while,” Bill said cheerfully, “You like the new look? Just something I picked up.”

Dipper took in the top hat, his bow tie, the eyepatch, all the yellow - Bill looked dapper, ridiculous, and somehow still- “It’s very, uh,” He paused. “It’s very you.”

Bill grinned at him, shifting further onto the bed, and tipped his hat to the human slightly. “Made it myself, Pine Tree,” He leaned back, his long legs unfolding to rest next to Dipper’s. “Took a lot of power, but I think it’s pretty impressive.” He added, eye flashing blue.

Dipper glared, scooting away from Bill slightly and trying not to look as nervous as he felt. He hadn’t seen Bill in years, and now he showed up, looking like- like this? He felt off-kilter, looking over the long, lean lines of Bill’s form. 

“Look, what am I here for? Why did you take me to…” He waved at their surroundings, unsure of the right word. “This place?”

“You want to get right down to business, then,” Bill said, and beamed at him. “Let’s discuss your options!” The demon moved closer, moving to sit right next to Dipper, sliding an arm around the human’s shoulders.

Dipper felt a well of dread rise in him. If he was lucky, he’d only have a couple of body parts removed, or be turned into some type of lizard. His whole body was tense, and he tried to control his breathing, to keep calm. He was still near a dangerous demon, just not the kind he’d suspected.

 _Or_ , some small, insane section of his brain thought, it  _was_  the same kind of danger, but with  _Bill_ , and-

He grabbed at the bedsheet, trying to clear his head, and felt his heart pounding.

“Uh, so what’s it going to be, then? Spiders for fingers? Bones turned into silly putty? You’ll take my lungs and make party balloons with them?” His bare skin registered every motion of Bill’s arm over his shoulders. The tiny, insane part of him fretted on its own, nervously, silent thoughts burning with an ember of heat. He realized he was clutching the sheets to his chest and let them drop, suddenly unsure what to do with his hands.

Bill cocked his head to one side, like he hadn’t understood the question. He looked at the captured human for several long moments, until he fidgeted.

Dipper felt a slow prickle of sweat begin to form on his skin, twitching a little under Bill’s gaze, but the demon seemed intent on staring.

“Well?” He demanded, aiming for confidence and ending up somewhere near anticipation. He shivered, just a little, the cloth of Bill’s jacket smooth over his shoulders.

Bill, still looking at him, said nothing. His free hand reached over to tap at Dipper’s thigh, making him shudder. It slipped across the inside of his thigh, then moved to trail over his hip. Dipper pulled at the sheets, heart speeding up.

Bill pulled his hand away. “You know, those are some decent suggestions. I’ll have to remember ‘em, but,” He said, drawing the word out slowly. “It’s not you I’m angry with, Pine Tree,” He admitted, tapping his chin in thought. “I think I’ll do… nothing.”

“Nothing?” Dipper asked, numbly, feeling his own heartbeat pulse in every part of his body.

“That’s what I said!” Bill grinned at him. “Send you back home without a scratch on you. Takes more effort than I'd like to keep you here anyway.”

“But, why, I don’t,” Dipper spluttered. He narrowed his eyes, pulling more of the sheets up around him. “Look, I know you. There’s no way it’s that simple. What’s going on, Cipher, another one of your plans?” He sat up straighter, turning more towards his captor. Their legs bumped into each other.

Bill chuckled. “Of course it isn’t that simple. But where’s the fun in just telling you what I’m up to? I thought you liked mysteries, kid.” He winked, managing it even with one eye.

Dipper glared at him and moved to stand. “Yeah, but-”

Bill snapped his fingers and Dipper fell, collapsing again into sleep.

————————————

He woke with cold air lashing at him. He shouted, surprised - all he could see was dark, and his vision struggled to adjust. Flailing, trying to find his feet, he had just enough time to see the ground before he hit it, hard.

Stars swam in his vision, and for a few terrifying moments he couldn’t catch his breath. He gasped once, twice, and coughed. He spat out a mouthful of dirt and pine needles.

The ground was prickly and damp. His ribs ached from the impact. “I don’t think this counts as nothing,” He groaned, and carefully rolled onto his back.

The swaying tops of the tall pine trees gave him enough of a glimpse of the sky to see it was a partially moonlit night. Beneath him was a small pile of pine needles - they poked at him painfully, but it had at least cushioned his fall, and he was pretty sure nothing was broken.

He sat up, mouth gritty with dirt, and spat a couple of times to get it out. He vaguely recognized where he was - he’d wandered these woods enough to get a feel for the place. With a sigh, he stood up, clutched at his ribs, and headed towards home.

The walk back to the Mystery Shack was unpleasant. The sheer amount of pine needles that had collected in his pyjamas and hair were irritating, but so was walking barefoot over an entire forest floor full of rough roots, underbrush, and unexpected stones. Without a shirt on, the wind was cooler than he would have liked - and by the way the ground squelched under his feet, it had rained recently.

By the time he made it to the grass outside of the building, he was cold, his feet hurt, his hair still had pine needles in it, and his mood was downright foul. Light flickered inside through the window and he relaxed. Mabel and Stan were still up. There would be time to warn them about Bill’s plan, before the demon could start anything in earnest.

He thumped his way up the porch to the doorway. Small voices were speaking inside, indistinct, but as his foot hit one of the creaky boards near the door, everything fell silent. He hesitated, confused, then continued forward. The door pushed open easily under his hand.

The scene in front of him was bizarre. Mabel sat near a small circle of candles - the light he’d seen inside. Stan stood behind her. Dipper was surprised to see that at some point, both Wendy and Soos had shown up, sitting at the counter and crouched next to Mabel, respectively. All of them stared at him with looks of complete shock.

“Uh…” He said, looking around. “So, hey guys, what’s going on?” He waved at the weird circle of candles, noticing that there were actually a fair amount of the things lit around the room, perching precariously on various surfaces. The building was already a fire hazard, and the candles on display just made it look even worse.

“And when did you get here?” He asked this to Wendy and Soos, glancing at both of them.

Stan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Mabel shot up from the floor and threw herself at her brother. He barely caught her, and she immediately started squeezing the life out of him in a hug.

“Ow, ow, watch the ribs,” He groaned. He still hugged back.

“Mabel,” Stan said slowly, “Get back.” Mabel shook her head against his shoulder, and Dipper was shocked to feel hot, wet tears on his skin. He hugged his sister closer, no longer caring how much her grip hurt his bruised ribs.

“Fine, but we’ve got to be sure,” Stan muttered, dipping a thumb into the melted wax of one candle. He strode over, and pressed it firmly against Dipper’s forehead-

Mabel froze in mid-hug. Everyone looked at him except for his sister, who was like a statue in his grip.

Then, clearly having expected something to happen, Stan’s shoulders slumped. Even more confused, Dipper wrinkled his brow, feeling the cooling wax peel away from his skin. His Grunkle let out a slow breath, then he started shouting.

“Hell, kid, are you alright?” His voice was furious and worried. Mabel cackled suddenly and her arms tightened until Dipper could barely breathe at all. Stan reached over Mabel to grab at his shoulders. “Mabel, check his fingers. Dipper, if you’re missing a lung, I know a guy, we could probably-”

Dipper shook his head and lifted Mabel up slightly so he could step away from his grunkle’s grip. “Guys, really, what the hell? I’m fine, got all my organs and everything.

He looked around them, Mabel still unwilling to let him go. “It’s been what, a few hours? What happened here?”

There was a moment of silence. Wendy broke it.

“Dude, Dipper, you’ve been gone for twelve days. We thought you’d be dead. Or, uh, possessed.” Her face was pale, but she managed a smirk. “Like, Bipper.”

He was too surprised to do anything but stare for a moment. Wendy had a tentative smile, Soos was outright beaming, Mabel’s sniffles had turned into snorts as she tried to stop crying. Stan was clearly relieved and trying to hide it, walking away from him and starting to pace the shop floor.

“Can’t believe that damn demon…” Grunkle Stan paused in his pacing, then snapped his fingers. “You sure you got all your skin, kid?” He looked Dipper over.

Dipper sighed. “Yes, I’ve got all my skin,” He muttered. “Bill took me, uh, somewhere, said he had a plan, and then he dropped me into a bunch of pine needles. I was honestly expecting worse. But I’m fine,” He added, because his grunkle didn’t seem convinced. “Really. The most he put me through was some moderately terrifying conversation.”

Stan frowned, but seemed to lay the matter aside. “First thing we do tomorrow is set up some things to help deal with that equilateral jackass.” He nodded at Wendy and Soos. “You in?”

Soos saluted him, seeming pleased, and Wendy nodded. “Sounds good to me,” She said, smiling at Dipper. “Great to see you back in one piece.” She came over and punched him gently in the arm, smiling.

“Thanks, Wendy,” He murmured, and was surprised when both she and Soos joined in to hug him tightly. Stan was already wandering off, muttering to himself, but soon enough the two Mystery Shack workers were heading out, leaving Dipper and Mabel alone on the shop floor.

“Uh, Mabel,” Dipper said, after a long minute. He shuffled his feet, rubbing one of his arms with a hand as she stood to one side, still sniffling her way through her crying fit. “I’m sorry, but-”

“Bill just sort of- ran off with you,” She said, and pried herself off of him. She wiped at her eyes. “And you’re still okay!” She said, her mouth finally turning up into a smile.

“I knew you would be, really,” She continued, rubbing at her eyes a bit with one sleeve of her sweater. “But Stan said all these things-” She hiccuped. “You’re okay.” She breathed out slowly, reassuring herself.

“I’m okay,” He agreed, and gave her another brief hug. “Bill’s weird and evil, but at least this time he didn’t do anything.” He frowned. “Besides making you worry.”.

She hesitated, and glanced down at him. “So what’s with that?”

Dipper froze, confused. “What?” He asked. She pointed.

He looked down at himself. Where before his pyjamas had been off-white with a frankly embarrassing pattern of little sheep on them, they were now jet black, with a pattern of tiny golden triangles.

He looked up at Mabel. She shrugged.

“Bill Cipher,” Dipper said, slowly, “Is a total jerk.”


	2. Chapter 2

Demonproofing the Mystery Shack turned out to involve far more salt than Dipper had expected.

Soos had been nailing up little dishes of it by every doorway, windowsill, and for some reason, bathroom sink. Dipper had even found small painted symbols appearing around the Shack, which Stan claimed were ‘some art deco nonsense’, and, when pressed, ‘none of your business, kid,’. It was both fascinating and frustrating.

Dipper copied every symbol he found into the journal when Stan wasn’t around.

He took a step back and compared the mark on the wall with his own rendition of it. He didn’t have Mabel’s artistic talent, but it was good enough as a reminder. He clapped the journal shut with one hand and stuck it in his vest, smiling. Stan kept his secrets close to his chest, but with Bill Cipher wandering around, there were all kinds of things to discover.

He walked back to the shop floor, grinning as he thought of what he might be able to learn. The door was open to tourists, but it was a slow summer this year. Only a couple of people wandered through the shop. Wendy sat at the counter, paging idly through a magazine.

Dipper was about to start restocking shelves, or walk over to bother his former crush, when something flickered gold in the corner of his vision. The open door showed the woods beyond, and for a second, he thought he saw gold again, in between two distant trees.

Bill. His mouth firmed into a line and he adjusted his hat.

There was no way the demon was going to get away with anything, not on his watch. He nodded to Wendy as he walked out. “I’m just heading out for a bit. Watch this for me,” He pulled the journal out of his vest and dropped it on the counter. “Shouldn’t be long.”

“Sure thing,” Wendy said absently, flipping to another page of her magazine. “Have fun.”

Dipper headed out in the direction he thought Bill had gone. If it had been him. He knew the woods around here - the gnomes were relatively close by and the manotaurs were off to the north, but quickly-moving gold creatures weren’t anything he’d heard of. On the other hand, where he’d seen the flash of color, there weren’t a lot of things a dream demon would be interested in. But if he could follow Bill, catch him in the middle of something-

With jolt, he spotted another flicker of yellow ahead, and he picked up the pace.

The trees grew denser as he wandered. Occasionally, he glanced up and around him, trying to figure out where this chase was heading. Going in this direction, he might want to be a little more cautious - gremoblins were known to wander further ahead. But If he went east for a few miles, there were some interesting-

“Jeez, kid, I’ve met lemmings with more self-preservation instincts than you.” Bill said behind him.

Dipper jumped, nearly tripping over himself. He turned.

Bill stood there looking at him curiously, leaning with his elbow resting on his cane. His head was cocked to one side. “Looking for someone?” He asked, and smiled.

“Alright, I know you’re up to something,” Dipper said, steeling himself. It looked for all the world like Bill was simply lounging around, not up to something. “You didn’t just let me go for no reason.”

Shrugging, Bill straightened up. “Maybe I wanted to see what you would do. And I gotta admit,” he said, walking towards him. “It’s worked out pretty well for me.”

“What?” Dipper asked. He took a few steps back. What kind of advantage had Bill had gained by sparing him? The guy had to know that Dipper would fight him if he could. Since he’d been dropped off in the woods two nights ago, he hadn’t done anything he wouldn’t normally - though he had spared a couple frustrating hours that morning trying to destroy some demonic pyjamas - so there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with his mind. He hadn’t even had weird dreams lately.

Bill circled him like a shark, and Dipper, turning to keep him in sight, suddenly regretted running out into the woods.

He hadn’t even had a plan, he had just taken off, like an idiot. Chasing Bill Cipher, dream demon, who was much stronger, faster, had demonic powers, who was physically present, and- he felt rough bark behind him, he’d backed into a tree - suddenly far too close for comfort.

“What kind of guy goes tearing off into the middle of nowhere like this, Pine Tree? There’s a lot of dangerous things out here.” Bill said, tapping Dipper under the chin with his cane. “What did you think you were going to do when you found me?”

“I-” Dipper stammered.

“Or are you the type to chase anything you’re curious about?” Bill asked lightly, smirking. Dipper’s fear melted slightly under the sheer force of his annoyance. If there was any upside to this, it was that Bill finally had a face to punch him in.

“ _No_ , I wasn’t chasing- I. I only followed this one insane triangle who-“ He shuddered. "Why are you even here? Why lure me out like this?”

“ _Lure_ ,” Bill repeated, a touch of pride in the word. He shrugged. “I was only testing something, and wow, is it ever confirmed.” His smile was predatory. “For someone who’s thinks they’re smart, you’re not all that perceptive.”

“What are you up to?” Dipper asked, through gritted teeth.

“Why don’t I just tell you?” The demon snapped his fingers. The world went dark.

——————–

Dipper woke leaning against someone’s shoulder, an arm wrapped around his waist. The Mystery Shack was in front of him, lights dimmed, closed for the evening. How long had he been out?

The person holding him, surprise of surprises, was Bill.

He squirmed a bit in the demon’s grip. He’d half expected to be taken to that yellow bed again. Home was a welcome surprise.

“Thanks? I guess?” He asked, and tried to move away.

“Not so fast,” Bill said, pulling him back against his chest. Even through their clothing he radiated warmth. Dipper found himself very aware of his skin wherever they were pressed together. “I’m not quite done with you yet.” One of Bill’s hands came up to pull off Dipper’s hat, and fingers brushed through his hair before the arm wrapped around him again.

“Okay.” Dipper agreed, hating the way the word trembled and almost cracked. His mouth felt dry.

“Don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Bill’s voice was smug. “But you like me.”

“No I don’t,” Dipper struggled to step away, but he wasn’t putting much effort in it. “I hate you.”

“You think I’m interesting. You don’t just chase every monster you see on a whim.” Bill said, his chest shuddering with held-back laughter. Something about the way he said ‘interesting’ made Dipper turn red.

“You’re  _evil_ , not interesting, I’ve got you figured out-”

“Don’t kid yourself,” Bill’s hands slid down. “You know, I thought about taking you out earlier,” He made a quick, disemboweling motion over Dipper’s stomach. “But now I’ve got a better idea. After all, you’re not entirely useless, Pine Tree. How ‘bout you help me out with a few things?”

“What? No!” Kicking at the demon’s shins, Dipper started to struggle in earnest. “There’s no way I’m helping you with anything. You’re insane.”

“Hey, you’re not too hinged yourself. Noticed it when I borrowed you from your family earlier,” Bill said, delighted. “You think I couldn’t hear part of you wondering about it? Going ‘what if he  _ravishes_  me’?” A hand on Dipper’s hip slipped one leather-clad thumb under the waistband of his pants. His stomach jumped. “Pretty vivid imagination you got there.”

Dipper wrenched himself out of the demon’s grasp, stumbling forward. Bill had seen it, had seen him thinking about letting himself just lie back and- he shied away from the memory of those half-formed thoughts, face burning with shame.

“You’re an odd one, I admit. I’ve seen a lot of things over the eons, but this is new,” Bill rocked back on his heels, bouncing a little in amusement. “Where do you humans come up with this stuff?”

“Great, so, whatever, I’m stupid. I get that.” Dipper muttered, and stomped away, lowering his head. “We’re done here. I’m going home.”

Bill floated beside him, leaning back in defiance of all physics. “Don’t worry, kid, I’m flattered. Guess I did a pretty good job on the meatsuit. I could be a master of seduction.” He tucked his arms behind his head as the boy headed towards the Shack.

“Great for you, then.” Dipper said, exasperated. He couldn’t even look at Bill anymore.

“It is!” Bill exclaimed happily. “Just think of all the things I can get you fleshpillars to do using this.” He slid a hand up his front, pulling up his clothing and exposing just a bit of skin.

Dipper tried to keep his eyes focused on the ground. “This can’t be happening.” He clutched at his head. 

“Don’t be such a downer, kid. How about it?”

Dipper stopped, hands clenching. “What?” He asked, and his thoughts raced.

Bill rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “This isn’t usually my style, but I find myself in an interesting position,” He spoke slowly, as if he were feeling out the idea. “Maybe we could make a  _deal_.” His eye turned blue, one hand reaching out and bursting into flames. "I take you to bed, and you give me something in return.”

Hesitating, hating himself for doing it, Dipper glanced at the Shack, then at Bill’s outstretched hand.

“I can go to bed on my own,” He hedged. “It’s just inside.” He jabbed a thumb at the building. Nervousness fluttered in Dipper’s chest. Why wasn’t he walking away, this was the stupidest-

“Fine, fine, you want it spelled out.” Bill waved his arm, the flames vanishing. “Jeez, you get burned on a bargain once and you start being paranoid,” He leaned in close, lips parting in a smile, pink tongue flickering out to lick his bottom lip. ”I’ll have sex with you.”

Dipper caught himself staring and looked away.

“And what do you get out of this?” He asked, strained.

“Oh, that,” Bill said airily, holding his hand out, palm up, the blue flames relighting. “You’ll just owe me a little favor.”

The sentence cut through the moment as if it were a knife. Did Bill believe that Dipper would do this? Take the deal? There had to be something going on here, he knew better than to shake Bill’s hand. The demon  _knew_ he knew better. This was some kind of ploy to catch him off guard, there had to be another angle.

He glanced at Bill’s hand, then met his eye, trying to figure him out. The demon waited for his answer, wiggling his eyebrows, hand making a beckoning motion..

With slow astonishment, he realized Bill actually thought that this was going to work. That his new body was too amazing to turn down. That Dipper was a complete moron who’d sell his soul for-

A thought struck him.

He stepped in close, and Bill’s smile broadened, eye glowing as it focused on him.

“Well?” Bill murmured.

Dipper looked him in the eye, then carefully reached out and grasped the lapels of Bill’s suit. He felt his face heat up. “Do you know what I’m going to say to that?” He asked, voice a little rough.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Bill’s voice resonated through him. His grin was wide and confident. “Say it.”

“No.”

He shoved Bill away from him, pleased at the way he whirled away in the air, then marched towards the Mystery Shack, stride confident and definitely not fleeing.

Bill couldn’t read his mind, not all the time. He felt slightly faint with relief.

The demon righted himself and followed, still floating, hovering slightly ahead of Dipper. He looked faintly surprised. “Come on, kid, I know how humans work,” He insisted. “This is a big deal for you meatsacks, especially males around these ages.” He gestured between the two of them. “Do you know how many dreams I see about this stuff?  _All of them_.”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s a thing, I guess. But why make a deal with you?” He gestured between himself and the demon a little helplessly, and almost smiled. If Bill could spin a deal about a puppet into possessing a body, he knew that these terms were nothing short of poisonous. They were like ice water in his veins, calming him down, giving him focus.

“Besides,” He added, thoughtlessly. “There are other demons.” At least if he ran into a incubus he might get something good out of it, before his soul was ripped apart and devoured.

Bill stopped in midair, his expression absolutely indignant.

Dipper walked past him while he was still surprised, opening the door to the Shack and stepping inside. It took a moment or two for the demon to recover, but he dropped to the ground, shoes clacking on the porch as he strode forward. “What- Look here, Pine Tree, I have-”

Bill smacked into something invisible in the doorway, stumbling backwards. Dipper watched in surprise. He’d tensed up, expecting a fight, but apparently- he noticed the source of the barrier in a flash. Above the door, a few tiny painted symbols burned red and let out a little smoke.

Stan really knew his stuff.

“I see the old man’s been busy.” Bill said, rubbing at his nose. His eye burned red, then returned to its normal gold as he straightened up, regaining composure.

“He’s putting in extra hours,” Dipper agreed. He found himself smiling. “And I’m picking up a few new things in the process.” He added. And if that implied he knew what those symbols were, and how to use them, well, that was fine.

Bill’s brow furrowed in annoyance, but it didn’t last long. One corner of his mouth turned up.

“You’re never boring, I’ll give you that. Go ahead with your little human tricks.” He tossed a shoulder back dismissively. 

“Get lost. I’m not taking the deal.” Dipper waved Bill away.

“Not yet, anyway,” Bill said smugly. He lifted one hand and it flared blue again. “You’re still thinking about it.“ He made a frankly obscene gesture, and laughed.

Dipper slammed the door in the demon’s face, the sound of high laughter ringing in his ears even as Bill vanished. He was blushing, furious and- okay, he could admit it now, while he was alone - more than faintly aroused. He let himself slump against the closed door, groaning. Still, better this -  _thing_  - than casual violence, screaming heads, and having his body stolen. 

Unless he was in for all of the above.

He beat his head against the wood a few times, trying to think of something else, and stopped as he heard the Employees Only door creak open.

“Hey Dipper! You were gone way long.” His sister’s voice rang through the room. “Were you just talking to someone?”

Dipper straightened immediately. “No, everything’s fine,” He lied. “Nothing is terrifying.”

“Okay, cool,” Mabel agreed, but carefully, frowning a little. “Do you smell smoke?”

“What?” He looked up at the little symbols on the doorframe. They were scorched black into the wood now. “That’s… matches. I was-” He looked around the room for an excuse, and found several, still placed in extremely flammable locations. “Going to light some candles. I think I’m going to stay up a while longer.”

Mabel was looking at him strangely. Then finally, she shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He smiled weakly and walked past her, laser-focused on the kitchen. It was late, he was oddly tired, and several dozen cups of coffee seemed like a step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just giving these a runthrough before I post them - I've got a backlog, and I'm trying to get out another chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper stopped tapping his foot on the floor, and tried to concentrate on the tourists at the register, smiling at each of them as they bought cheap trinkets for absurd prices. The weather was far cooler than summer should have been, even in Oregon, and Stan was doing brisk business with the thin jackets he hadn’t been able to pawn off last fall. Outside the Shack, curls of mist boiled over the ground. The few tourists outside left slow whorls of steam in the air with each breath.

 Something was brewing in town, and he had to figure it out. So. Time to do some research. He even had a new source of information! Who was... less than helpful.

Stan had initially been annoyed at being peppered with questions, but as Dipper kept asking, pushing him for information - once, ambushing him to see if he could startle something out of him - he was slowly getting angry. The old man had always been close-mouthed on the subject of the supernatural, but knowing that his grunkle could ward against demons, that he knew things Dipper couldn’t even scratch the surface of was amazing. But since he wouldn’t  _say_  anything, it was frustrating as hell. Bill  _freaking_  Cipher was wandering the woods, and walking up to the doorstep, and Stan seemed content with whatever protections he’d already set up.  
  
Not that Stan knew about Bill still being around, or his offer. Hopefully he never would. But Dipper needed to know more, to keep himself safe, and there was no way in  _hell_  he was going to explain why.  
  
“Grunkle Stan,” He shot up from the counter as the latest batch of tourists left the shop, just as the door closed behind them. “Listen, I know you don’t like talking about this stuff, but you can’t be sure-”  
  
“I am sure, kid,” Stan interrupted, taking off his fez and running a hand through his grey hair. “Everything will be okay. All this stuff is safe as houses.”  
  
“But what if Bill comes back?”  
  
“He won’t.” Stan said, certain. “Stop talking about it, Dipper, and especially stop  _saying his name_. If you’re worried, I can tell you, talking about it isn’t going to help.”

“I just think that something’s going on,” Dipper insisted, pacing up to stand by his grunkle. Names were important, somehow. Don’t speak a demon’s name if you don’t want their attention? He mentally filed that away. “And if there is, I want to be prepared for it.”

“You won’t have to be prepared for anything. That triangular dickwad’s borrowed body will die of exposure or starvation in a day or so. We’re fine. Just… stay in the Shack for a while. And get some freakin’ rest.”  
  
Borrowed body? That didn’t seem right. He knew Bill had borrowed a human body once (his, he remembered it too well, he still had little scars), but it had never-

“But why don’t you-” Dipper asked, but his grunkle only glared and stormed off, muttering under his breath.   
  
No help for it, then. Dipper rubbed at his eyes and tried not to yawn, feeling his head drop involuntarily for a moment, before he jerked it up, suddenly alert. As long as he could stay awake, Bill couldn’t mess with his dreams. After years of insomnia, a little bit of self-enforced sleeplessness wouldn’t kill him. He’d just have to stay awake. Maybe for a while, but he could do it.

If Bill was after him, if the demon thought he knew how to get Dipper to agree to his bargain, sleep was dangerous. Bill could do anything in the Mindscape.  _Anything._

Dipper shivered, then slapped himself in the face, and kicked at the counter until it hurt his foot. He hissed a little between his teeth. No, it wasn’t worth the risk, not now. Maybe Bill would lose interest. Eventually.

Until then, he wasn’t going to give the demon a chance. Not even for a moment. Even if Grunkle Stan wasn’t talking, Dipper had picked up a few things. And he had enough time to figure them out.

————————————- 

Dipper passed out two days later.

The last thing he remembered was walking across the shop floor, intent on, on something, he couldn’t recall what he’d been trying to do. He’d probably fallen. His cheek felt warm and slightly tender to the touch.

Dipper shifted where he lay. Same uncomfortable bed, same dangerously unmaintained ceiling - ugh, someone probably had to carry him here, Stan had probably delegated it to Soos.  He rubbed at his temples. While he remembered fragments of his dreams, they hadn’t been remarkable in the slightest. Not even a hint of demonic interference. 

He rolled onto his side and sighed. So much for that dumb idea. Either Stan had some way of stopping Bill from invading his dreams, or there was something else the demon was up to. Either way, not sleeping had been pointless. If anything, he’d only slowed himself down.

He drifted off, and dreamed of nothing.

————————————-

Dipper scribbled a few more sigils into the Journal, then stepped back to get a good look at the gift shop. He fumbled a little with his drawing, but started mapping out the positions of all of the candles. There had to be some kind of pattern to it. If so, the first few steps in thwarting Bill shouldn’t be too complicated. If he was right about what Grunkle Stan had done when he’d shown up at the door, there should be another way to find out-

He froze as his sister walked onto the shop floor. He’d thought that this late at night, nobody would bother him.  
  
“Hey, Mabel,” He said, trying to sound nonchalant as he tucked the Journal back into his vest. “What’s up?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
“Cool, nothing going on here either.” He said easily.  
  
“It’s not nothing if you’re wandering around at, like, midnight. Again.” Mabel said, her mouth twisted in worry. “What’s going on, bro?”

Dipper sighed and pressed his face into his palms. “Shut up, everything’s okay.”  
  
His sister still frowned at him. “I’m not dumb, Dipper. I know you, and something’s wrong. You’re not sleeping.” She insisted. “You were fine for a while, then suddenly you got all paranoid. What happened?”

“None of your business.” He said. There was no reason to mention an offer he wasn’t going to accept. 

“You’re acting way weirder than normal. Do you need any-”  
  
“I don’t need anything from you! Go. Away.” Dipper snapped. Mabel couldn’t know about this, he couldn’t tell her about it. Not ever.

Mabel flinched back. Her eyes turned downwards. She looked away

Dipper clenched his fists, white-knuckled and tense. All she wanted was to know if he was alright. She wanted to help.

It made things worse, in a way. Mabel wasn’t part of this problem. She didn’t know about her brother’s… issues. She didn’t know about him being awful, about him wanting to- being  _stupid_  enough to consider an obviously terrible offer. She’d done nothing wrong, and he was looking for someone else,  _anyone_  else, to be mad at besides himself.

And, he thought, after several long, tense moments, there was nobody else he could trust with this.

Mabel had started to shuffle her way backwards, moving away from him. It was too much.

“Just don’t tell Grunkle Stan, alright?” He said, sharply, long after the silence between them had gone from awkward to impenetrable. It felt weird breaking it, like he had slammed a door on her, and suddenly kicked it back open.   
  
Mabel was staring at her feet, but at his words she looked up, startled, and nodded.   
  
Dipper shifted uncomfortably. It took a while for him to answer. “I saw Bill again. The night you thought I was talking to someone.”

Mabel’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened as if to say something, but she only nodded again, encouraging him.  
  
He wished she’d asked him something. Had tried to pry for answers, tried to drag the words out of him. If she’d tried to force him to talk, it would have given him something to fight against. He could have lied, and wow, lies would have been so much easier. But she just looked at him, earnest, and interested. It was hard to decide what to say.  
  
“He wanted a favor,” Dipper said finally, shrugging one shoulder and looking at his sister askance. “Maybe it’s something he doesn’t want to do, or can’t, I don’t know.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “He tried to trick me into making a deal. I said no.”

“So that’s it,” She said, sounding relieved. “Just tell him no until he goes away, and that’s the end of it!” She bit her lower lip a little, frowning. “Stan says he’s going to kick the bucket, eventually.” She thought Bill was possessing a body, Dipper realized. Which made sense, considering what they’d been through at the puppet show, but…

“That’s just it,” He hissed, leaning in, speaking quietly. “I don’t think his body's going to die.”  
  
Mabel seemed startled. “You don’t? Wh-”  
  
“Listen,” Dipper said, urgently. “He told me he made the body out of his- his own power.” He glanced from side to side, even though he was fairly sure Bill couldn’t watch them inside the Shack. “Look, Mabel, when he possessed me that one time, he couldn’t  _float_. When I saw him the other day. He just-” He waved his hands inarticulately. “Hovered around. If he could’ve used that to get the journal all those years ago, he would’ve.”  
  
Mabel’s lips thinned into a line, and she nodded slowly.   
  
Dipper continued, “So, if he has some limits when he’s possessing someone’s body, who knows what happens if he makes his own? If he’s able to go wherever he likes… ” He trailed off and shuddered.  
  
“Which he could do because he’s in a body. A human body!” Mabel exclaimed, and for some reason she was smiling. “He has, like, human stuff to worry about!” Her smile widened, and she gasped. “Oh my gosh. That explains it!” She laughed and pumped a fist in the air.  
  
Dipper stared at her in bewilderment.   
  
“What.” He said, flatly. Mabel was chuckling to herself, clapping her hands.

“Oh yeah, I guess you didn’t hear the whole story,” Mabel sobered slightly and cleared her throat. “When Bill showed up like two weeks ago-”  
  
“To kidnap me.” Dipper added.  
  
“Nuh-uh, bro-bro,” Mabel shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the reason he showed up. I think that he took you just because he’s a jerk, and Stan annoyed him.” She shrugged. “He knocked on the door that night, just after the Shack closed. I didn’t recognize him, I just saw a cute guy. A cute guy,” She drew herself up importantly, chin raised. “Who asked me to make him a sweater.”  
  
“A sweater.” Dipper repeated, tilting his head. “Are you feeling okay?” He was mostly sure they didn’t have any Smile Dip in the house, though it might not hurt to check.

“I know what I’m talking about,” Mabel insisted, expression turning serious. “I didn’t know who he was at first, but he was crazy gentlemanly. He said I was the best knitter in ten dimensions, and even did that thing where he took my hand and kissed the back of it.” Her cheeks turned a little pink.  

Dipper found himself gritting his teeth and stopped. “That’s great.” He muttered.  
  
His sister laughed awkwardly, cringing. “Uh, no, because that’s when Stan saw him and sort of- uh, freaked out.” She leaned in closer. “He thought Bill was hitting on me. Can you believe it?”  
  
“Is that so,” Dipper said blankly. “What a wild and crazy thing to assume. Why would a demon ever do that.”  
  
Mabel didn’t seem to notice. “I know, right?” She chortled, and batted at him with the loose sleeves of the sweater she was wearing, until he was chuckling along with her, fending her off.   
  
“I still don’t see what that has to do with what I saw the other day.” Dipper said, crossing his arms.   
  
“It’s simple,” Mabel waved at the windows. They were all slightly hazy from the mist outside. “He’s got a body, like, one that’s actually  _his_. And it’s really cold for this time of year. He probably just wants to stay warm.”  
  
Dipper’s eyes followed her gesture. They  _were_  having odd weather lately, but that was just so… obvious. The demon had put in too much effort for something as minor as some winter clothing. And why ask Mabel for the sweater, and try to make a deal with Dipper? Maybe there was something about their family, something he was trying to use. He couldn’t think of a reason, not yet. He needed to know  _more_. “No, it can’t be. That’s way too simple. What if-”

Mabel cut him off with a disgusted sigh. “Not everything has to be super convoluted, Dipper. Calm down.” She headed into the living room, and came back with a pair of knitting needles and a couple of rolls of soft yarn.  
  
“You’re not actually going to make it for him, are you?” Dipper asked, aghast. “Mabel, he’s a  _demon_ , he-”  
  
“You’re right, he would like yellow,” She interrupted, stuffing a skein of yarn into his hands over his objections. “Hey, if this is what he wants, he might leave you alone. And anyway, how much evil can he get up to with a cozy sweater? It’s, like, impossible to be  _too_ evil when you’re comfy.”  
  
She had a determined set to her jaw that Dipper recognized all too well. He grumbled to himself, but held the yarn for her. It was absurdly soft, warm, and entirely unsuited to being used for mayhem. It made him nervous.

“I just want it on record that I said this was a bad idea.” He said finally, watching the lines of yarn tie themselves together under his sister’s careful hands.  
  
“Recorded.” Mabel declared, knitting away furiously, a small smile on her face as her needles clicked against each other, spinning wool into intricate patterns.   
  
“But since we’re going to do this,” Dipper glanced at the doorway, examining the frame. “Mind helping me out with something? I’ve got an idea, and you’re the artistic one.”


	4. Chapter 4

Pen set aside, Dipper double- and triple-checked his notes. Occasionally he held up a loose sheet of paper to compare the two. He nodded to himself, tucking the pen away and folding the loose papers into little squares, then ripping along the creases until he had about three dozen little copies of the demon-repelling marks.

Or what he assumed were demon-repelling marks. And he didn’t know if they would work when they were just pink marker on paper, instead of paint on wood. If that was paint, and not something else. He’d thought of getting Mabel to draw them on his arm to help him punch Bill in his stupid face, but had remembered the wood burning, red with heat, and reconsidered.  
  
Dipper realized he was probably making a lot of assumptions. The idea of stepping outside for the first time in days left him feeling out of sorts.

Mabel had copied the symbols from the doorframe exactly - her handwriting always had been better than his. He felt relieved to have even these small shreds of paper. Out of all his options for defense, this was the only thing proven effective against his- what, enemy? Stalker?  
  
Suitor?   
  
He rubbed at his eyes with one hand and let out a slow breath. He couldn't stay cooped up inside all summer. Bill hadn't exactly been knocking on the door for him, so he probably wasn't a high priority for the demon at the moment. But there was still a risk. He had to be prepared for anything.

He checked his vest pockets for the seventh time. The journal was safely stashed upstairs, he had extra notepaper, two pens and a marker, the scraps of warding runes, a few holy symbols from different religions -

Mabel, standing outside waiting for him, shifted in placed and sighed heavily. She waved at her brother through the open doorway.

“Dipper,” She whined, “It’s been ten minutes. Are you coming out or not?”   
  
“Right, right, just a second.”

“That’s what you’ve been saying this whole time,” Mabel said impatiently, squeezing a soft bundle to her chest with one arm. “Let’s do this!”

Dipper checked the sky. It was light out, and so far Bill had only shown up at night. Dreams and night were related, maybe that was relevant? He could do some research, figure out if there was a connection.   
  
Mabel made a frustrated noise, and Dipper steeled himself.

No time like the present. He stepped cautiously out the door, and waited. The air around him stayed still, cold, and silent.

Mabel bounced on her heels, looking at him in anticipation. “So how does this work? Is he gonna just show up, like, pow!” She threw her hands in the air.   
  
“I don’t think so,” Dipper said hesitantly, taking a few more steps. “I don’t know if he’ll show up at all. Or if he can.” He took off his cap, running a hand through his hair. “But if he does decide to turn up, it’s probably not going to be anywhere near the Shack.” He put his hat back on, looking out into the woods.   
  
His sister nodded. “We’ll take a walk. It’ll be good for you, anyway, you’re even more pasty than normal.” She nudged him in the side with an elbow, grinning.  
  
The grass was coated in dew, soaking their shoes as they headed for the woods. It was even colder than it had been a few days ago, and the windows of the Mystery Shack glinted in the light, a fine tracework of frost reflecting the sun. Over the last week or so, the weather had gone from odd to downright unseasonable. Dipper was beginning to wish he’d brought along more substantial clothing this summer, though Stan seemed thrilled enough to be able to offload some of his more ancient and unsellable inventory.

They wandered into the dense treeline, feet crunching on twigs and pine needles. Dipper glanced around every few yards, looking for any hint of gold between the pines.

“You think this will work?” Mabel asked, walking alongside him.

“No,” He admitted. Even if Bill had asked for this like Mabel had said, he had a sick feeling in his stomach. “But it’s worth a shot.”

They walked in silence for a moment, then Mabel giggled. “Okay, I know this is silly, but I’m kind of looking forward to seeing him.”

Dipper stared at her, halting in his tracks. “What, really?”

She grinned, unfurling her little bundle of fabric. “He’s just going to look so cute in this.” She whispered, waving it in the air. The sweater was bright yellow. Knitted in lines of black yarn was an image of Bill himself, triangular and with his top hat, a black cane in one hand.

“That’s… incredibly narcissistic,” Dipper said, slowly. “He’ll love it.”

“Hey Bill!” Mabel shouted suddenly. Her brother covered his ears. “Check out this thing I made!”

The branches above them rustled softly in the breeze, and a couple of birds paused before continuing to sing. Other than that, nothing seemed to happen. Dipper thought he saw a deer dart between some bushes into the woods, startled by Mabel’s shout.

“It didn’t work,” She said, lowering the sweater and sounding a little disappointed. “How do we get his attention?”  
  
Dipper grimaced. “Look, what you made is great, but it’s still pretty weird that we’re  _trying_ to get Bill Cipher’s attention in the first place. Don’t you think-”  
  
“If it isn’t my favorite pair of fraternal twins,” Bill’s voice rang out, footsteps approaching behind them. Dipper froze, cursing himself mentally. He’d said the name, and that had done the trick. It had caught Bill’s attention, and now he was here, and there wasn’t getting out of this, not easily.

He braced himself as Bill continued.  “Well, well, what do we have here?” Mabel seemed unaffected, even as Dipper tensed his shoulders and faced resolutely forward.

She whirled around, grinning proudly, holding her knitting out at arm’s length. “You wanted something like this, right?”

Bill gasped. Actually  _gasped_.

Dipper turned reluctantly. He had to see this.

“It has me on it!” Bill said, delighted. He was wringing his hands together happily, leaning forward. Clearly enthusiastic, and interested. “Man, do I ever love tribute. Good work, Shooting Star, it’s about as perfect as you could make it.”  
  
Mabel preened. “Well, am I the best in ten dimensions or not?”  
  
“Eleven,” Bill amended, walking towards her. He plucked the garment from her hands, looking it over carefully, eye blinking gold with small flashes of light. “You’ve really outdone yourself on this one.”  
  
Mabel giggled, cupping her face in her hands. Dipper glared, moving closer. “Okay, so you’ve got your sweater, now are you-”  
  
“Hold this!” Bill said brightly, taking off his top hat and placing it on top of Dipper’s own cap. “It’ll just be a sec.”

Dipper frowned, prying the hat off - and failed. It seemed to get stuck about an inch over his head, and no matter how he twisted or pulled, it stayed in place. Dipper grunted and tried to shove the stupid thing off of him. It levitated, staying in perfect position.   
  
Meanwhile, Bill had shrugged on the sweater Mabel had offered. It dangled over his thin frame, far too large for the demon’s human body. The sleeves dropped over part of his hands, leaving only his fingers showing when he lowered his arms. It was bulky, loose, and entirely unsuited to him. He looked like a puffy yellow marshmallow.  
  
Mabel squealed. “Oh my gosh, you look  _amazing_!”  
  
“I always look amazing.” Bill said proudly, buffing his nails on the sweater - Dipper could see his gloves were still on, it was just a pretentious gesture - and glancing at his hand, smug and satisfied.   
  
Dipper smacked the top hat hovering over his head a few times, and it resolutely refused to move. He sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. “You look ridiculous. What is the point of all this?”  
  
“Sounds like someone doesn’t know how to be stylish.” Bill stated, drawing himself up importantly. His hair was slightly mussed from pulling on the sweater, and the soft, tall collar of it covered his bowtie. The whole thing drooped over him, falling almost halfway down his thighs. He looked absurd, and… more tangible. More human.

Dipper stared.   
  
“Up top!” Mabel declared, raising her hand up.  
  
Bill high-fived her. Mabel cheered, holding her arms up in the air. 

Dipper cleared his throat, crossing his arms. “This is ridiculous.”

“This coming from a guy wearing two hats at once. You don’t even have two heads! What is with that?” Bill said, amused. Beside him, Mabel giggled.   
  
“What- You  _put_  this on me, that’s not the same thing!” Dipper took off his own hat in another attempt to dislodge Bill’s. It had no effect, though the demon’s smile seemed to widen.

“That’s a good look for you, Pine Tree,” Bill said slowly. He leaned forwards, smug as anything, floating just off the ground. When he strode closer, the rough carpet of pine needles under his feet remained undisturbed. “You should wear more things of mine.”  
  
Dipper froze. “Uh, I don’t think I will,” He said, rubbing his hands on the thighs of his pants, his palms sweating. “It doesn’t really fit me.”  
  
“I could think of something,” Bill’s cane appeared, and he used it to hook the front of Dipper’s shirt, drawing him in closer. Dipper stumbled and nearly fell into him, close enough that he could feel Bill’s breath ghosting over his ear. “Maybe a suit.”  
  
Dipper clasped a hand to the side of his head as he felt another tickle of breath, goosebumps forming on his skin. “You’re not getting your hands on me, Bill.” He was aware of his own breathing, slightly sped up from normal. He inched back slightly to create a little distance between them.   
  
“Hey,” Mabel interrupted. Dipper almost leaped as she poked Bill in the side. He’d forgotten she was there.

“You got what you asked for. Can you just leave Dipper alone now? He’s sort of dying, being cooped up in the Shack all the time.” She pursed her lips, eyes going wide and a little watery. “Please?”  
  
Bill looked at her for a moment, then rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, I suppose…” He said slowly, glancing at Dipper. The boy tensed, taking a couple of steps back. “I’ll keep as far away from your brother as he wants me to.” Bill said, eye winking. His smile was predatory.  
  
Mabel laughed. “I told you it would work, bro!” She said in relief, and launched herself at her brother, hugging him soundly.   
  
“Yeah, that’s great,” Dipper said, hugging her back. He kept careful eye contact with Bill.

“I should be going,” Bill said carefully, his eye focused on Dipper’s. “Thanks for the assist, Shooting Star. I’ll see you later.” He took his hat from Dipper’s head as easily as if it had never been fixed there, and was suddenly gone, in a flash of gold.  
  
Mabel beamed at her brother. “So?” Her smile was bright, full of anticipation.   
  
“So, you’re awesome, you were right, I was wrong,” Dipper said, smiling weakly as Mabel bounced on the balls of her feet. “Guess he’s gone. Thanks, Mabel.”  
  
“I,” She declared, resting her hands on her hips. “Am amazing.”  
  
“You are.” He agreed, glancing around the forest.   
  
“Did you even see how easy that was?” She asked, and started walking back towards the Mystery Shack. “I don’t think there was anything to worry about in the first place.”  
  
Dipper stayed still. “Sure, sure.  I’m just going to stay here for a bit, though. You go on ahead.”  
  
His sister looked over her shoulder back at him, one eyebrow raised. “Okay?”  
  
“It’s just that- Man, it has been a while since I’ve been outside, you know?” He said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m going to enjoy it. Thanks, Mabel.” He added, smiling. “Stan won’t miss me for a few minutes. I’ll meet you back there in a moment. Just going to hang out for a bit.”

“I gotcha, broseph,” Mabel said, grinning. “Don’t take too long!” She waved, dashing off through the woods. Dipper waved back at her, even though she wasn’t watching, then collapsed, falling back onto the forest floor as she disappeared from sight.

Dipper sighed, letting himself relax as Mabel’s footsteps slowly trailed off. The air was still cold and the ground was colder still, but he stayed where he laid, and stretched his arms out in front of him before letting them fall to his sides. There was no sound but the rustle of the pine needles, and the slow susurrous of wind in the branches.

The woods were quiet and peaceful, the only noises birdsong and the rustle of branches. Still, Dipper felt a little tingle run through him, a crawling sensation that ran up his spine, and made him shiver.

“I know you’re still here.” He stated, and stared up at the branches above him, watching them weave together and part, showing and hiding bits of the daylight.

“Of course I am!” Bill’s voice resonated through the woods. “Listen to you, lying to your own sibling. I think I like it.”  
  
“You lied first!” Dipper accused, sitting up straight.

“I didn't lie one bit, kid! Everything I said was perfectly true.”

Dipper buried his face in his hands, fuming silently.

“Seriously, Bill, I know you’re up to something. We might as well talk about it.” He shifted where he sat.

A little flicker of gold sparked in front of him. Dipper watched with interest. 

First, there was only a faint glimmer of a triangular form, then a burst of gold light that was painful to his eyes. The light washed over him in a wave of warm sensation, like a sudden gust of steam. In an instant, Bill materialized, and stared down at him, whole and human-seeming, leaning on his cane. The sweater was missing, and he stood in his suit, dapper and dangerous.   
  
“Sure, why not? I’m feeling generous, and I got some time to chat.” Bill bowed slightly, and tapped his cane on the ground.

Dipper looked up at him, feeling a little tense. He cleared his throat, not sure where to begin. The demon watched him, looking slightly bored, then twirled his cane around one finger, idly playing with it. 

“Why do you need winter clothing, anyway?” He asked, after a long moment. Bill had seemed genuinely pleased with his gift, and he wasn't quite ready to talk about the _other_ business between them.  
  
“I don’t.” Bill said, and reached out a hand towards the sitting human. Dipper looked at it warily.  

Bill rolled his eye at him, and continued. “It’s the symbolism I wanted, kid. What it represents is  _way_  more interesting than any common wool tangle.”

“Sure, right,” Dipper said carefully, but took the demon’s hand. Bill hauled him to his feet. He stumbled a little, and straightened up as he stood. “It represents, what, Mabel’s weird fashion sense? Your immense ego?”   
  
“Appearances are important,” Bill stated, like it was a quote, then grinned. “But it’s a freely given gift, and it’s warm, on several levels. You just can’t see things the way they really are. Humans are so  _limited_.” He chuckled, nudging Dipper under his chin with his free hand. “See, It’s funny because you’re pathetic.”

Dipper glared at him, squeezing his hand tight on Bill’s fingers, hoping it hurt. He hadn’t noticed how soft the leather of the glove was, or how the hand felt in his palm. It was warm, and firm.

He startled for a moment, yanked his hand away, and wiped it on his shirt.

“What about the- the thing. Your deal? What’s with that?” He asked. His face felt hot. He shoved the traitorous hand in his pocket to rummage around in its contents.   
  
“You wanna get right to the point, then.” Bill shrugged. “It’s a simple deal, Pine Tree, a tiny little one,” he said, his cane dematerializing, and he held two fingers close together, just barely not touching. “You should be thrilled! It’s a fantastic offer. You get what you want, hardly owe me anything, and because I’m such an amazing guy, I’ll even let you keep all your blood.”

“I do like my blood,” Dipper admitted, rubbing his arm nervously. “I need it for things. Like living.” His thoughts muddled together, trying to make sense of their conversation.   
  
“See?” Bill spread his arms expansively. “Everyone wins, except for those who die. Honestly, I’m the one doing  _you_  a favor.”   
  
"Not going to happen.” Dipper said. It was such a bad idea on so many levels, he wasn’t ever going to consider it.  
  
“Come on,” Bill said, “This is the best offer you’re going to get. I know you. I’ve seen your dreams. I’ve been in your  _mind_.” His tone was low and serious. “I  _know_  you. You don’t want to make other bargains.” His voice grew harsh with irritation, spitting out the last two words.

That was weird, Dipper hadn’t seen anything supernatural besides Bill, after being stuck inside for days. And why would anyone want to-

His mind flashed back to their conversation, days ago, and he felt his face turning red. His thoughts raced.

If  _Bill_  thought Dipper ‘wasn't entirely useless’, it would follow that  _other_ supernatural beings-  
  
“I’m not making a deal with  _anyone_ ,” Dipper said finally. He shivered a bit, the breeze chilly even through his clothing. Maybe he could ask Mabel to make him something as well. Just for some protection against the elements. “And I can defend myself if I need to.” He felt the scraps of paper in his pocket, wondering if they’d work.

Bill seemed to relax, just a fraction. If he hadn't been looking for it, Dipper wouldn't have ever noticed.

The demon watched him, contemplative and silent. His lips pursed slightly.  
  
“I suppose you’ll keep, Pine Tree. I don’t need to waste my time here when I could be doing something way more interesting.” Bill grinned, sharp and inviting. “You let me know when you give in.”  
  
“Sure,” Dipper said, not paying attention, thoughts having long since wandered in another direction. “I’m not going to,” He added hastily. “But I’ll think about it.” He shouldn’t have said that, now he actually was thinking about it. “Not very much, though, it’s a terrible offer. I’m not even- that is, you’re-” His voice wavered, and he realized he was babbling. 

Bill beamed at him. “I gotta try this temptation thing more often. The reactions are amazing.” He bowed slightly. “You know how to get in touch, Pine Tree. Remember, always watching!”

The demon vanished, leaving Dipper blinking away the afterimage of the bright light Bill left behind. It showed up as a dark triangle on the inside of his eyelids.   
  
Dipper groaned and buried his face in his hands, then turned and walked back to meet with his sister, hands in his pockets. Facts sorted themselves out in his head, piecing things together.

Bill had plans, but they weren't related to the Pines family, not directly. They weren't his target. They were... a resource. Stan was keeping the twins safe, Mabel had her own set of skills, possibly Soos or Wendy had something interesting about them. But Dipper?

Bill had gone as far as to steal him away from everything, at least for a while.  He had something valuable. Something Bill didn’t want anyone else getting their hands on. He was offering him something bizarre for it, without any explanation, and Dipper couldn’t know the real reason any more than Mabel could have realized the deception in Bill’s promise to her. They just didn’t have enough information.

If he couldn’t figure this out, Bill would be able to lie to him all summer, and he wouldn’t notice the danger until it was too late. 

——————————————————

The Mystery Shack was full of tourists, and Stan was leading them on a tour that wasn’t so much lies, as it was outrageous lies. Dipper hadn’t missed a thing. Mabel stood outside waiting for him, waving something white in the air. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
“You got a thing!” She said, and handed him an oversized white envelope. He took it reluctantly, glancing through the window at Stan on his tour, then back at his sister.  
  
“I thought we already got the mail today,” He said, turning it over. He frowned. It was completely blank, except for an outline of a blue pine tree.  “This doesn’t even have my name on it.”  
  
“Yeah, but it matches your hat.” She poked him on the forehead. “Who else would it be for?”  
  
“Anyone could wear this, Mabel, we sell these here.” He argued, but he was already ripping open the top. It was too interesting to leave alone.

Two sheets of paper laid inside. Dipper pulled them out for a look, and he frowned. The top sheet read only ‘ _For your consideration’_ , written out in a curving, graceful hand. There was nothing else on the front or back. Mabel came over to stare over his shoulder, clearly curious.   
  
“What is it?” She asked.

Dipper passed her the first page, then squinted and brought the second sheet close to his face. The print was impossibly small, like the whole thing was written with spiderwebs, packed together so tightly it all looked like a blur. The ink was bright red, and it made the text even more difficult to read.   
  
Dipper caught a few phrases, here and there, though the language was dense. It was in English, but in between lines like ‘suspended until official notice of commencement’, or ‘grantor reserves certain rights and powers’, it was a frustrating tangle of legalese. Though he saw the phrase ‘in perpetuity’ popping up unnervingly often.  
  
“Some kind of contract,” There was a space on the very bottom that had nothing but a large, complicated fractal, in brown ink, and a line to the right of it. “I guess this is where I’m supposed to sign?” He did have a pen with him, he could do it right now, if he wanted to. And hell, why not?

Wait, no, that wasn’t quite right. 

That wasn’t brown ink. His thumb brushed over the sign at the bottom. No, ink wouldn’t be the right thing for this at all. He’d have to sign it in blood.  
  
_Blood_ , he thought, then shook his head, confused. 

He started a little as Mabel took the contract from his hands and squinted at it herself. She frowned, and stuck her tongue out. “I understand precisely none of this.” She declared, and handed it back to him.

Dipper blinked. The world seemed oddly bright, and a little unfocused. He folded the letter and contract in half, then folded them again.

There were magnifying glasses in the Shack, and Stan even had a few loupes he examined jewelry with. If he could just see what was written clearly, he could probably work out what they were after. There were plenty of resources to figure out the gist of the legal terminology, once he had some time to sit down and put in some serious effort. He tucked the papers into his pocket.   
  
Flames burst out from his vest, filling the air with acrid smoke.

Dipper pulled his hand back with a yelp, stumbling back a few steps in alarm. His burned skin stinging and sensitive, he frantically slapped at his clothing, which cheerfully burned away in a small bright flame. Fine grey ash puffed out from him as he beat out the flames, and Mabel joined in, smacking at him until he had to push her away.   
  
“What was that?” Mabel gasped, pulling the corner of her brother’s vest towards herself. A hole had burned its way through both sides of his pocket, and some of the holy objects Dipper had been carrying fell out with a metallic tinkling.

“I have a few ideas.” Dipper said, feeling oddly calm. He shoved a hand in to check what was left. Notepaper: scorched. Pens and pencils: On the wood of the porch, with the holy objects. No contract. And no papers with demon-repelling marks.

Bill was already a handful, but demons, _plural,_ was another thing entirely. As far as Dipper knew, there could be a whole pack of powerful beings wandering Gravity Falls, all of them vicious, and malevolent.

And incredibly territorial.

Dipper found himself laughing, even as Mabel looked at him with concern. "I’m okay. I’m just relieved.” He said, smiling shakily. 

If he had to guess, if he’d picked up the right clues from the few he had to work with - there were too many ‘if’s. But he had a suspicion, and it felt right. He remembered the absolute indignation Bill had shown when he’d mentioned other demons even  _existing_. 

In his own selfish, fucked up way, Bill might actually be trying to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is still a fic that's happening! My apologies, as it's going to keep happening.


	5. Chapter 5

In retrospect, Dipper should have expected there would be consequences.

Gravity Falls seemed to be returning to its normal summer self. The sun beat down on the town, warming the inhabitants and bringing back some semblance of the usual heat. He could wander outside the Shack freely, without any signs of a dream demon, only one more mysterious letter (he’d burnt it on sight), and the brisk business of the tourist season continued uninterrupted

And over the last two days there had been no fewer than seven massive fires. Six of them burnt down large patches of the wilderness, and the last, oddly enough, destroyed the frozen yogurt shop.

Mabel had almost burst into tears at the loss. Dipper had consoled her, and made notes.

The Gravity Falls Gossiper wasn’t the greatest source of information, but occasionally it had its uses. It might not have anything for someone interested in news about reality, but for noticing local disturbances, no paper did better.

Dipper clipped out another article, pinning it up on the board with the rest. Strange things were happening, even for this town, and no matter how he asked and pestered and pointed out the obvious, nobody seemed to notice any of it. Anyone he questioned barely seemed to remember the unusual weather, and none of them had cared much about the fires. Nobody seemed to notice the other events, almost as if they weren’t important. His chart showed otherwise.

So far, in the last week, more bizarre things had happened in this town than normally occurred over the course of an entire summer. Some of them were small. It was understandable for a town full of people who lived their lives surrounded by the paranormal to ignore them. But he’d been building up evidence, and this was anything but small stuff. Fires, flooding streams, sudden frosts-

Dipper pinned up one last article, describing the sudden collapse of a water tower, all of the metal joints rusted to the point of being red dust, and flinched as someone knocked on his door.

“Hey, Dipper,” Wendy opened the door on him, even as he threw a bedsheet over his collection of newspaper clippings and notes. “Weren’t we doing movie night tonight?”

“Oh! Yeah,” He stuttered, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. “We were. Your place again, right?”

Wendy gave him a thumbs up. “Sure thing. You coming with? I’m about to head out and Stan is closing up.”

“Absolutely,” Dipper grabbed a backpack, throwing it over his shoulder. The long handle of a baseball bat protruded from a gap in the zipper. “I’ll be downstairs in a second.”

Wendy gave him an odd look, then shrugged. “Cool. Meet you at the car.”

Dipper took a second to double-check he had everything he needed, then wandered downstairs to meet Wendy at her car. There might not have been a lot of demonic activity that involved him, but he wasn’t going to take any chances if a certain someone decided to show up. And if a certain someone’s rival (or rivals, he wasn’t sure how many there were) decided to show, he wanted to have some kind of defense prepared. There were some general protectionss he had set up, not wanting to overspecify, but he wanted to have all his bases covered.

After all, he had only positively identified one other demon, and he didn’t want to attract more of that one’s attention. The letters were bad enough without random ice forming wherever he went.

He met Wendy at her car. She looked him over, frowning a little. “What’s with the backpack? And the,” She waved at him. “You need a bat for something?”

“I’m just taking precautions,” Dipper said. “Might be useful to have a weapon with me for a while.” 

Wendy shrugged. “Mabel said that she sorted your demon problem out. You still worried?” She smiled, ruffling the cap on his head. “You’ve always been a suspicious guy, Dipper, but don’t get too paranoid. It’s not healthy.”

Dipper laughed hesitantly. “Yeah, not healthy. I’ll keep that in mind.”

They walked to Wendy’s car, suggesting movies for the night. They were arguing between Megashark vs. Ultrasalmon and Infinite Punchlord. Bad movies were an art, and had to be chosen carefully.

Something made a loud, thumping sound in the woods, and they stopped.

In the forest near the Shack, something exploded, blue and blistering, hot and bright enough to be seen through the trees. 

Wendy straightened up, taking a couple of steps back. “Wow, I haven’t seen a forest fire like that since-” She frowned. “Wood doesn’t burn like that.”

“Oh hell,” Dipper said, shrugging off his backpack, pulling out the baseball bat. A quick glance showed the runes on it smoldering, a little smoke given off from their growing heat. “This is bad.”

Wendy looked at him, then the bat, and they both flinched as a sharp scream pierced the evening air around them. The fire in the woods burned brighter, red flame licking around the edges of the blue. Shrieks started sounding in the distance, and a sudden warm wind tore through the woods. 

“Dipper, what the hell is going on?” Wendy asked, taking a few steps back and looking around herself, clearly trying to find a weapon of her own. “This isn’t some kind of supernatural biz, is it? Mabel said you guys worked through that.”

He cringed. “Okay, so we may have solved part of it, but, uh,” He wasn’t sure how to explain. “There’s more going on.”

Dipper could see dark shadows darting through the trees, outlined by the fire, some of them exploding even as he watched. Wendy cursed under her breath and stalked away, determination in her stride. Dipper kept a close eye on the fire, backing up nervously. 

The flames faded slowly, only a dim light now, and he lowered the bat. Whatever had happened, it was almost over. It hadn’t been able to reach the Shack-

Something screamed in the darkness, bouncing off of Wendy’s car on the driver’s side, the metal denting under its feet with a creak. The scaly, hunched thing crouched, sniffing the air, head tilting. Its pupils narrowed. 

Bright, wide red eyes focused on Dipper, and it rushed forward and pounced, aiming for his head.

Dipper swung his bat, hard, the end of it bursting into flames as it impacted with the mastiff-sized, scaly body of the creature. It clawed at him even as it rebounded away from his blow. His shirt ripped from the navel down under its claws, and the creature squealed in agony, part of its gaping, fanged maw oozing a gross liquid. 

Dipper raised his bat to his shoulder, heedless of the fire, watching as the thing raked at the ground and tensed its back legs to leap again, another scream sounding as it started-

An axe thudded into the side of the creature with shocking force, sending it tumbling onto its side, shrieking in pain. Greenish ichor leaked from its abdomen. Its limbs scrambled for purchase against the ground, trying to find its feet, muscles twitching oddly under its pebbled skin. Dipper backpedaled quickly, nearly falling.

Wendy marched forward and pulled the axe from the creature’s side. She lifted it and swung it back down, severing the monster’s head with a motion that reminded him of her splitting logs. It was efficient, almost casual.

There was silence for a few moments, Wendy panting in effort, before she propped one foot on its side and pulled the axe back.

“That… was pretty badass.” Dipper said slowly, dropping his bat and kicking it around on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire.

Wendy grinned, then stretched, leaning the ichor-coated weapon against her leg. She picked it up and rested it on her shoulder, then wiped at her face with one flannel sleeve. 

“Okay, what the hell was that?” She asked, looking at Dipper pointedly. He cringed under her gaze. “What is this thing, anyway?”

Dipper squirmed. There was so much going on, so many things that even knowing about them could put her in danger-

She’d just saved his life.

He took a deep breath, and let it out.

“Things are… complicated. I don’t think it’ll affect anyone at the Shack-” He paused. “But I might have a problem. Maybe a few problems.” He admitted, looking away.

Wendy tapped the haft of the axe on her shoulder, frowning. She opened her mouth to speak.

He interrupted before she could ask anything too uncomfortable. “Look, you know stuff gets weird here. It’s about to get a lot weirder. I got some hints from someone, and I’ve done the research, and now I know why the weather’s been so strange, and why there are so many things exploding around Gravity Falls.” He took a deep breath. “There are demons around, Wendy, and Bill’s fighting some kind of w-”

“Wait, Bill? As in Bill Cipher? That dude who kidnapped you?” Wendy stared at him, leaning away. “If-”

“Don’t say his name,” Dipper hissed, glancing around them. “If you say it, then-”

He groaned, smacking himself on the forehead with one hand. He saw no lights, no glimpse of yellow or gold, but he still felt Bill’s appearance. It brushed against him in a wave of warmth.

“Crap.” He murmured, massaging his temples. “Too late.” Wendy stared at him in confusion, then startled and turned as she heard footsteps.

“Didn’t take you long, Pine Tree,” Bill chuckled, strolling in between them. He gave Wendy a short wave, stepping up next to Dipper and wrapping an arm around his waist. “Hey, Red. Kid’s a little needy, what can I say. Talks a big game, but at the end of the day, he can’t resist me..”

Dipper made a low, frustrated noise, running his palms down his face. “Go. Away.” He said, voice low and tense. “I didn’t call for you, and she didn’t actually ask for you to be here. And you know it.”

Wendy recoiled, eyes wide. “Okay, this is getting weird.”

“Weird is wonderful! You should be grateful.” Bill said, doffing his hat to her and bowing. “Bill Cipher, at your service. All powerful being of pure energy! Guess I missed an imp earlier. Terribly sorry about that,” He smiled, snapping his fingers. The corpse of the monster - imp, Dipper guessed, by what Bill had said - burst into flames, and shriveled into ash within moments. “Nice throw with the axe, Red, I’m impressed.”

Dipper struggled, shoving Bill, unable him to move him. That was hopeless. He stopped fighting, letting the demon push him around.

“Uh, thanks?” Wendy scrunched up one eye, glancing between Dipper and Bill, lowering her weapon just a little. “Dipper, you alright?”

“Fine,” Dipper said grumpily, even as he was manhandled. Bill was way more handsy than he needed to be, but at least he wasn’t being violent for once. “I don’t think he actually wants me dead,” He paused, then added. “Or bleeding.”

“Which reminds me!” Bill snapped his fingers, turning Dipper to stare at him full on, looking him up and down. “Didn’t get cut, did you kid?”

“No, I-” He didn’t get to finish, as Bill pulled his arms up, turning them and checking for marks. He pressed his hands against the sides of Dipper’s head, twisting his neck back and forth with unnerving speed, cocking his head to either side. 

Wendy lowered her axe completely, and tapped Dipper on the shoulder. “So this is, what, exactly?”

“Making sure everything’s in place,” Bill responded, before Dipper could say anything. He grabbed the bottom of Dipper’s torn shirt and yanked it upwards, trapping the boy’s arms and head in his own clothing. “Don’t worry, Red, If he’s in one piece, everything will be fine.”

Dipper tried to say something, flailing his arms in the upturned cloth of his his shirt, feeling Bill starting to his run his hands down his chest and sides. He yelped, backing off and falling on his ass, trying to untangle himself. 

“You look cute like that, Pine Tree. Reminds me of you working on a mystery. Hopeless, even when it’s stupidly simple to figure out.” Bill lent down and pulled Dipper’s shirt and vest off entirely, tossing them aside. 

Dipper took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He clasped his arms around his chest, face heating up. “Are you done? I’m not injured and I’m not going to make a deal with you.” Bill merely shrugged, eye trailing over him.

Wendy glanced between him and Bill, expression confused. “Guys? What’s up?” She asked slowly, frowning skeptically. 

“Nothing.” Bill and Dipper said in unison.

They looked at each other. Bill smirked. Dipper glared.

Wendy squinted, and sighed, resting her face in her hands. “Right, now I definitely know I don’t want to get involved.” She crossed her arms. “Sort it out, or whatever. Are we doing movie night or not?”

“Right, right,” Dipper got to his feet, pushing at Bill and moving towards the woods. The demon didn’t move until Dipper grabbed his arm, gripping the crook of his elbow and pulling him along with him. Bill floated along in his wake as he started stomping away. “Still having movie night! We’re just going to- Go over here for a while. Talk this over.” 

“Suit yourselves.” Wendy said, watching them leave with an exasperated look.

Dipper cursed himself under his breath, pulling Bill into the woods. The demon floated behind him obligingly, almost weightless as Dipper tugged him along.

He stopped once they were beyond enough trees, standing in a small clearing in the brush. Bill’s elbow pressed against his palm as he paused, stopping whatever inertia the demon had. 

“This is bad,” Dipper said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. Bill looked up at him attentively. “I thought you’d keep your… demonic struggles between each other, but now I’m starting to get involved, and it looks like it’s getting ugly,” He ran a hand through his hair. ”Is the frost demon giving you trouble?” He asked.

That had been the only one whose existence he was certain about. Very few things could have affected the weather so severely, or made Bill seek extra protection from a physical threat. Something powerful was out there, almost certainly demonic, and he had a sick feeling it was connected with the contracts he’d been offered.

The kind of demon that would make a logical, orderly, organized legal contract was exactly the kind of demon Bill would try extra hard to destroy. Rules and regulations would make Bill puke his nonexistent guts up. 

Chaos versus order. Fire versus ice. Bill must have made progress, with the weather returning to normal. And Dipper had no doubts about Bill’s ability to spread chaos.

The other demons, if there were any, hadn’t shown themselves obviously enough for Dipper to figure them out.

Still, best not to give the dream demon any reason to think he didn’t know what was up.

“You’re more clever than you look. Figuring things out all on your puny human lonesome,” Bill beamed at him, flicking Dipper’s nose gently. “But I gotta admit, it’s funny that you thought you’d stay out of this,” He continued, amused. Bill rolled onto his back, hovering like he was lying on an invisible mattress. “Don’t worry about it, kid. They can’t get at you, though they’re making an effort. You’re part of my territory, and I’ve got things under control,” He winked, pointing a hand at Dipper in a finger gun gesture. “Told ya you wouldn’t want to deal with anyone else.”

That… was less than reassuring, Dipper thought. It was good to know he was right, in a way, but whatever it was he had that demons were interested in, now he knew it was something they were actively fighting over.

So he was, what? Something Bill was defending? As part of his territory? As property?

As a potential source of, what, demon-nip?

“I thought you’d be busy worrying about becoming Chill Cipher. Instead you’re bothering me.” Dipper frowned. This didn’t make sense.

“What can I say? I’m more powerful than you could imagine. And I’ll let that comment slide, but only because puns are the highest form of humor,” Bill was still grinning. “I like you, kid, you’ve got potential. Can’t blame a guy for being a little interested.” He waved a hand towards the Shack. “Anyway, some people won’t even try to make a contract. As you found out with that imp. Lesser demons just don’t have any fun with their prey,” He sighed, looking a little chagrined. “I’m being too generous, I know,” He lifted his chin, looking slightly miffed. “Call it a fit of insanity.”

Dipper hesitated, trying to process that. At the very least - he remembered the compulsion to sign the contract, the way it had pulled at him. He hadn’t been able to think of not signing it until Mabel had pulled it out of his hands. In contrast, Bill didn’t seem to be using any compulsions. He had a more delicate touch. He only used Dipper’s stupid, existing attraction to get his soul.

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Dipper said carefully, wrinkling his nose and taking Bill by the lapels of his coat, turning him back upright. It felt weird talking to someone upside-down. “You’re,” He paused, trying to think of what a demon would want to hear. “Definitely terrifying. I’m not surprised I haven’t heard much from anyone else.”

Bill stretched himself out in midair, resting his arms behind his head. His eye glowed and his smile was laconic, his whole body practically radiating smugness. “I am supremely powerful, Pine Tree. Nobody’s going to get at you but me.” He drew his gaze up and down Dipper’s body slowly. “You should thank me for being such a kind and gentle master.”

Quietly, Dipper fumed, lips firming into a thin line. Bill thought that he’d practically signed the dotted line on their deal, was treating him like he owned him. 

But if Bill thought he owned him, he might have a demon in his corner the next time another came to tempt him.

And a dream demon would, in theory, be able to cut through any mental tricks the others tried to play on him…

“Kind and gentle? Really? That’s bullshit.” Dipper shook his head, and thought quickly, running through his options. How to convince Bill he was going along with this, without over-committing. There was every chance this was a trap, some way to drag him into debt. There had to be some safe middle ground.

He thought of something, and blushed. “You’re an asshole, but. Yeah. Thanks.”

Dipper pulled Bill closer by his coat, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Bill moved into his pull with the same weightlessness as before, and his mouth was surprisingly warm and soft, even as the rest of his weight caught up with Dipper’s pulling and pushed them together firmly, teeth clicking together.

Dipper pulled back only slightly, readjusting and just letting their mouths brush against each other. It spread warmth through his face, down his neck and into his chest, heart pounding. They stayed like that for a moment, just the barest touch of lips against lips, until Dipper pulled back. 

“Right, there’s your thanks. You can go now.” He said, a little breathless. Hopefully, that was enough. Encouraging, but not putting him in debt.

Bill stared at him. He ran his tongue over his lips, once, then again, and bit down on his lower lip with his sharper than normal teeth, worrying it a little and almost piercing his own skin. He frowned, just slightly. Then he seemed to reach a conclusion.

“No, I think you need to thank me more,“ Bill declared, leaning in, grabbing onto Dipper’s waist. “Do that again.”

“What? No, you get one, that’s it.” Dipper was all too aware that he was already half naked, the soft leather of Bill’s gloves stroking over his sides. He shivered, and it wasn’t from being cold.

“I’ve done more for you than you know, kid, I deserve it,” Bill dropped to the ground, stepping in so close Dipper could feel the body heat radiating off him. “You don’t see anyone-”

“I got two letters.” Dipper interrupted, grabbing Bill’s forearms and shoving them away from himself, feeling hot and embarrassed. “With offers. And contracts to sign. You might be trying to keep me for yourself, but you aren’t the only one trying to get at me, Bill. You haven’t stopped anything.”

Bill straightened up, eye widening suddenly, then narrowing, lips drawing back in a grimace. He gripped Dipper’s arms, shaking him. 

“What. Did. You. Do.” He enunciated every word clearly, squeezing Dipper’s biceps hard enough to hurt. 

Dipper squirmed, leaning away from the sudden intensity in Bill’s voice. “I- I burned the contracts, of course, I wouldn’t even consider making a deal with something like you.” Bill glared at him, eye flickering red. Not the right tactic to take, it was at least a partial lie, how could he-“Okay, okay,” Dipper admitted, feeling his face burn. “I considered your thing for a while but that’s different. You’re different.” 

The grip on his arms loosened. 

“I’m still not making any deals.” Dipper said quietly. He looked up at Bill. “Not with anyone,” No matter who he dealt with, it could only mean his soul in the end. “I don’t know what you want from me, but you’re the only one who’s come close to getting it.”

Preening Bill’s ego was apparently exactly the right thing to do. The demon straightened up, chest puffing out a little, and he let go of Dipper, preening his hair and suit, smoothing out everything.

Dipper made a mental note. If he survived this struggle, he could probably write a whole journal itself on dealing with demons. Pride was starting to look like a major weakness.

“I still think you should thank me,” Bill said lightly, pulling Dipper in closer with one hand, palm pressing gently against the back of Dipper’s neck. “So do more.” He was close enough for his breath to brush over Dipper’s cheek, warm, making him shiver at the contact. 

Dipper’s heart thundered in his chest. Bill couldn’t be asking for- but he hadn’t asked him to make a deal for it, so maybe, just this once, it would be okay. No promises made on either side meant his soul was still safe, even if it was embarrassing. 

“So, uh, what if,” His voice almost cracked, something it hadn’t done in years. “What about this?” He pressed his palm against Bill’s groin, feeling heat build inside himself at the motion. He rubbed upward slowly, legs trembling as he thought of dropping to the ground, kneeling-

Bill took in a sudden sharp breath, face turning slightly pink as Dipper’s palm pressed against him. He made a slow, strangled noise, eye wide and bright. “I-” He spluttered.

Dipper stopped, dropping his hand almost instantly. Then, despite himself, he laughed.

He’d been right. Another mystery solved, and it gave him a deep, breathtaking satisfaction.

Bill was a dream demon, a creature of the mind. Sure, he could do anything in the Mindscape, it was his to play with. He used it in the same way humans used their lungs to breathe - instinctually. Whatever he wanted, it would shape itself to sustain him, to give him an advantage.

But dreams were one thing, and reality was another. When Bill could mess with people’s heads, he couldn’t touch their bodies, and vice versa. It was one or the other, the entire reason he’d built a body in the first place. He needed a way to interact with the physical realm, to deal with rivals who needed to be literally set on fire.

His body was probably fine-tuned to every sense a human body could be. It would have amazing sight, and smell, and hearing, and everything else that the demon had decided was ‘best’ for a human body. He’d made it to exact specifications, with all the equipment included, plus probably six other senses demons needed and Dipper couldn’t even begin to understand. It was attractive. Intelligent. Had all the right muscles in all the right places, and was a snappy dresser to boot.

And he’d undoubtedly equipped his physical form with an excellent sense of touch, even though it was something he’d never experienced before.

Bill had made a body, and he’d made an offer. An offer he might be willing to go through with, but one he didn’t understand. 

“What’s wrong, Bill,” Dipper asked, warm and jittery with enthusiasm. He knew what to do here, he’d figured it out. He dug his fingers into the fabric of the demon’s coat, squeezing Bill’s sides. Part of him felt hot inside, knowing that Bill had never felt anyone try to bruise him like this. There were so many places he’d never felt anything at all. 

“I like your offer, I’m tempted,” Dipper found himself admitting, before he could shut up. He paused, heart thrumming in his chest, and thought quickly. “Only… I have some reservations.”

Bill gave him a frank look, arching an eyebrow. “No, you don’t. I’ve seen-.”

“I know what you’ve seen,” Dipper said through gritted teeth. He knew exactly what Bill was talking about, what he’d dreamed of, but he had a point and he was determined to make it. “But those are just dreams. I need to know if the real thing is going to be any good.” 

Bill looked surprised for once, the smile fading off his face. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Dipper thought carefully. Bill wasn’t human, he didn’t understand this in the slightest. He had to explain this in the right terms if it was going to make any sense to a demon. “It’s like, uh,” Dipper said, thinking fast. He remembered all of the dreams where he’d tried to flee a monster, where his legs just hadn’t worked the way he wanted them to, never gaining ground even though he ran as hard as he could, where his limbs slowed down and acted like he was wading through molasses.

“Nightmares wouldn’t be frightening if someone could run away. Bodies work differently in dreams,” He lifted his chin defiantly. “You might be great in the Mindscape, but reality has different standards.”

Bill looked at him carefully, expression neutral. One corner of his mouth turned up, and his lips parted to say something-

Dipper spoke quickly. If he didn’t catch Bill while he was discomfited, he’d lose any ground he’d gained. “We could try a couple of things out,” He interrupted. Bill frowned and closed his mouth, looking annoyed. “You can always tempt me into selling my soul once you’ve shown how good you are.” He added, fighting the urge to smile, trying to keep his expression serious.

The demon seemed to consider this for a few moments, rubbing his chin with one hand. “I suppose-” He started, then his eye widened as Dipper leaned in and kissed him, hard. 

Dipper took full advantage, flicking his tongue over Bill’s lower lip until he opened for him, then pressing in closer, slipping into Bill’s mouth and exploring it slowly, vaguely aware of preternaturally powerful hands digging their fingers into his sides and thighs, leaving dull points of pain that he knew would bruise later. 

Bill had stiffened for a moment, grasping at him painfully, tense under Dipper’s hands. It took a moment, but he finally seemed to catch up with what Dipper was doing, opening his mouth wider until they could move together smoothly, lips and tongues sliding against each other in a slow, wet press of pleasure. Dipper moved closer, wrapping his arms around Bill’s neck, pulling him close and pressing himself against the soft fabric of Bill’s suit. He was rewarded with soft growl. He could feel it vibrating in the demon’s chest as Bill responded, tongue flickering against his.

Dipper bit down on Bill’s lower lip on an impulse, and tasted warm copper on the tip of his tongue- he’d drawn blood. Bill’s tongue followed his own, and he made a low, pleased sound. His hands slid down the back of Dipper’s pants, squeezing and dragging their hips closer.

Dipper whimpered softly, holding himself still only with conscious effort. He pulled at Bill’s jacket, shoving it down over his shoulders before fumbling with his bowtie, trying to undo it. Bill took a sharp breath, hands freezing where they grasped him, and Dipper almost giggled.

He’d thought this would be dangerous, that Bill would be totally composed and in control, but he was thrown off his guard so easily, even by the simplest things. Dipper could have the upper hand in this, if he played it right. The idea thrilled him, making him eager to try whatever he could get away with, and he unraveled Bill’s stupid tie and leaned in to kiss him again.

At least one of them was completely out of their depth here, and he couldn’t be sure who it was.

Someone cleared their throat, loudly. Dipper jerked back, leaving Bill to lean fruitlessly forward in attempt to kiss him, lips finding Dipper’s ear. 

Wendy waved at him, only few meters away, behind some of the brush and standing just in the treeline. “Hey. Uh. Just checking in on your-” She looked them over. “Your talk.”

Dipper found himself in a somewhat awkward position.

He was standing, shirtless, wrapped up against his former kidnapper and clearly caught in the middle of something. Wendy had left the axe behind at some point, and was pointedly averting her gaze from him and Bill, shielding her view of them with one hand.. 

“Soooo,” She drew the word out slowly. “You’re dating a monster. Can’t even say I’m surprised,” She shrugged. “You could have mentioned it earlier, dude. I already knew you were into the supernatural, I’m not gonna judge, it’s cool with me. But, hey, rain check on movie night?” She grinned at him uncertainly, meeting his eyes.

Dating? Dipper strangled back a protest, clenching his jaw. What could he even say? Oh no, Bill’s hands might be on my butt and my tongue may have been in his mouth, but it wasn’t what it looked like? That this was completely platonic necking? 

He remembered her question after several moments, and nodded, feeling numb.

She smiled, more genuinely this time. “Cool, see you later.” She clicked her tongue, winking. “Have fun, guys.”

And she left.

Dipper felt lightheaded. He hoped like hell Wendy wouldn’t mention this to anyone.

Bill had been making small, annoyed noises during their conversation. Now, he growled quietly, and sucked Dipper’s earlobe into his mouth. He bit down, hard, making Dipper yelp.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Dipper pushed him back, breath catching a little in his throat. This was going further than he had intended. He couldn’t give in now. “I’m turning in for the evening. You go do- whatever the hell demons do when they’re fighting.”

He rubbed at his ear, taking in a slow breath and letting it out. The point where he’d been bitten was sore, but in a way he wanted to keep. It was a place he could pinch later, and remember sharp teeth, wet lips pulling on his skin.

Bill smiled widely, running his tongue over his teeth. “Nah, this is way more entertaining.” He nuzzled up against Dipper’s neck, nipping the skin gently. “You make great noises. Listen to this!” He bit down on the juncture between neck and shoulder, and Dipper made a high, involuntary whine. It hurt and felt amazingly good at the same time, and he arched into the contact.

Bill pulled back and laughed, keeping Dipper close with his grip on his ass. “I could play you like an instrument,” He purred quietly. “All I have to do is bite in the right place and you’ll make the best sounds.” Dipper’s face heated up. He was sure he was the most atrocious shade of red possible.

It was too much. He shoved Bill away from him, stumbling to the side and storming off. “Consider me unseduced. I am the opposite of tempted now,“ He muttered, hunching over himself, breathing heavily. “Congratulations, I’m leaving.” He didn’t look back, walking purposefully away.

There was silence behind him. The back of Dipper’s neck prickled with the awareness that he was being watched, but it seemed like Bill wasn’t following him.

Twin feelings of relief and indignation warred within him as he stormed back towards the Mystery Shack. Of course he wanted Bill to leave him alone. That was obvious. But… really, he wasn’t going to make an effort? Not even going to chase him a little?

He slapped himself on the face, cursing himself silently. This was exactly the kind of dumb dramatic gesture that he shouted at characters for in books. This was stupid.

Bill was actually being the sane one for once, giving Dipper some space. Now that was an awful thought to have. It made him stop in his tracks.

The right thing to do, that the characters in books never actually did, was to talk to their lover, and sort things out.

Not that he had a lover. He just had someone who was a slightly less awful option than all the other demonic presences interested in him. A horrifying, kidnapping, nightmare-inducing, insane, triangular option.

Dipper cursed himself several more times, and turned around. 

Bill was watching him, staying just at the treeline, hovering a few inches off the ground. He didn’t look offended, or hurt. He mostly looked confused. One eyebrow arched upwards, his head tilted slightly to the side. His untied bowtie dangled on either side of his neck, and the jacket of his suit was still haphazardly drawn down over his upper arms. He hadn’t bothered to shrug it back onto his shoulders.

“I’ll see you later,” Dipper blurted out, staring at the ground, suddenly unable to look Bill in the eye. Hell, what else could he say? “That was fun.”

Bill blinked a few times, head tilting further. Then he grinned. “I knew you liked me, kid.” He tipped his hat, his grin insufferably wide and smug.

“Shut up,” Dipper shouted, storming away from Bill, into the Shack, and slammed the door. “Oh god,” He muttered, resting his face in his hands. He could still feel Bill’s mouth on his, in little echoes, feel the teeth on his neck, on his ear. “I am so screwed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kudos and comments so far. If you've gotten this far into this fic, I really hope you're enjoying this!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts in a weird way. It'll make sense in a few paragraphs.

“Oh, Ralgor,” the demoness whispered breathily, bosoms heaving in a naked jiggle. “I never knew that it could feel this way.”  
  
Ralgor’s abs shifted, writhing like snakes under his skin, oiled and rippling with muscle. His turgid biceps curled around his lover. “Erala, I shall only ever have these feelings for you, just as you have come to have feelings for me,” He said, his love tuber already nudging against her. Erala gasped in turbulent excitement. “Now that you know flesh, take these sensations,” Ralgor hummed, “For they shall be the best you have ever had.”  
  
The demoness bounced up to clasp her legs around Ralgor’s sumptuous, throbbing abs-  
  
“Bro-bro!”   
  
Dipper startled and dropped the book, almost throwing it to the floor. He glanced at his sister and immediately looked away, clearing his throat. “What’s going on?”

Mabel stared at him, gaping, eyes wide with delight. “I saw that!” She accused, beaming with excitement. ”Do you like romance novels now?” Dipper looked around the gift shop for anything else to look at rather than meet her eyes. Mabel watched him for a moment, then gasped. “Dipper! Oh my gosh, I have so many! We could have a book club,” She clapped her hands together. “We could have  _Twin Book Club_.”

“We are _not_ having-”  
  
It was too late. Mabel ran off, giggling, and he thought he heard her reciting book titles to herself she ran up to the attic room.   
  
Dipper cursed quietly to himself. ‘Enthralling Demons’ had  _not_  been the kind of book he’d been looking for during his research, but he’d checked it out anyway. Important information could come from unexpected places - he’d learned that lesson a long time ago. And once he’d started reading, he’d found it oddly difficult to put down. It was so trashy and awful, but he’d completely failed to notice Mabel walking into the room.

He glared at the offending book. The novel lay where it fell, its pages splayed apart to a particularly bad passage. He spared a very brief moment to wonder how he’d gotten so into it anyway.  
  
He kicked the paperback away from him, grumbling and lowering his head to rest on the counter. Nothing was good. Everything was terrible. Fires were still being set randomly around the town, and just that morning the Pines had woken up to find the entire front porch coated in a thick sheet of ice. Stan had made him and Mabel thaw it out with a couple of hair dryers. It had taken hours. 

These days his dreams tended to be pleasant, but last night there had been absolutely nothing. Whatever had happened, he’d had the attention of two _very_  powerful demons last night.

This demon situation hadn’t bothered anyone except Dipper, and briefly, Wendy, so nobody else noticed how completely messed up all of this was. Random arson and frost could be explained, but only Dipper still had to deal with, well, whatever it was that apparently made him tempting to make a deal with. Even after poring over the journal and looking at every book he could find, he was still no closer to a solution. He didn’t know what it was that they were after. And he was running out of places to look.  
  
“Oh my gosh, you  _have_  to read these, they’re the best!” Mabel’s footsteps thumped down the stairs, arms loaded with books, a few of them falling beside her as she ran back into the empty gift shop. Another few books fell from her pile as she stopped suddenly, looking at Dipper. “Hey, no need to be embarrassed, you know I don’t judge! Love is for everyone to enjoy and read about!”

“Mabel,” Dipper kept his face down on the counter, sounding muffled. “If you had to choose between eternal winter and eternal nightmares, which would you pick?”  
  
Mabel raised an eyebrow, then frowned, confused.. “Uh, neither? Those both sound terrible.” She set the books down on the counter, and paused. “Wait, nightmares?”

“It’s nothing.” Dipper mumbled.

Eyes narrowing, Mabel leaned in. She watched him critically for a few moments, and Dipper closed his eyes, not wanting to deal with her scrutiny. It was blissfully silent and dark, and Dipper was grateful that they were alone. He could almost go to sleep right where he was.

“Bill’s up to something, isn’t he?” Mabel slammed her hands on the counter, standing up straight and clenching her hands into fists. “And after I made him that sweater, too.”   
  
“He hasn’t done anything,” Dipper interrupted, eyes shooting open as he straightened up. “He kept his part of the bargain, I’m fine. But remember the ice this morning?”  He rested himself back down so his cheek was pressed against the counter, and shrugged, closing his eyes. He didn’t have to mention why he knew Bill wasn’t a threat, but Mabel still needed to know that there was something out there. She couldn’t protect herself if she didn’t. “I figured something out. There’s more than one demon around.”  
  
Mabel wrinkled her nose, and rested chin in her hand, then finally crossed her arms and leaned in. “So there’s some, like, demon fight going on,”   
  
He sat up. “Wait, what? I mean, yes, there is, but-”  
  
Shaking her head, Mabel waved her hand, cutting him off. “Look, bro, even I know sheets of ice in summer are weird for Gravity Falls. So, like, either Bill wanted a sweater from me because he has excellent fashion sense - Which he does! Or he wanted something to stop being cold. You just confirmed it for me.” She pinched Dipper’s cheek and he flinched back, glaring at her.   
  
“Okay, okay, fine,” admitted Dipper, rubbing his cheek and sticking his tongue out. “There’s some kind of frost or ice demon, and some other, uh,” He grimaced, thinking about the odder-than-usual occurrences. “Some other opportunistic supernatural things coming in while the big powers are fighting. It’s way more dangerous. I was trying to find a way to stop demons.” He cast a glance at the discarded paperback. “But I don’t have a lot of resources.”

Mabel nodded, smiling slowly. “So… Bill’s on our side?” Her voice rose at the end of the sentence, trailing off.

“Bill is on  _nobody’s_  side but his own,” Dipper insisted, clenching his hands into fists. There was no way the demon wasn’t trying to work this to his advantage. “He just thinks his opponent wants to make a deal with me, so he’s trying to prevent it from happening.”  
  
“Those contracts,” Mabel murmured slowly, and she perked up. “Well, you haven’t got one for a while, so it’s probably fine, right?”

“No, it’s not fine,” Dipper slammed his hand on the counter, frowning. “We can’t let any demon win this, Mabel. We’ve got to stop both of them. You can’t just let demons run the town, you know?”  
  
Pursing her lips, Mabel leaned back. “I don’t doubt you, bro.” She nodded to herself slowly. “But Bill’s probably the least awful option. Better the devil you know, right?” Mabel beamed at him. He looked away. “So… what if he takes out the other demon, and then we banish him once he’s weak?” She spread her arms, expansively. “Would that work?”

Dipper frowned, rubbing his chin slowly. “That’s… not a bad idea. If he uses up a lot of his power on the other guy, that’ll make things a lot easier.” He frowned, then shook his head. There was no reason to be upset by the idea. It was a pretty good plan. It could get rid of Bill for quite a while. So. Super good plan. “I think you’re right.” He said eventually.

Mabel puffed out her chest, lifting her chin up proudly. “I’m always right, bro. You need to respect.” She walked over to punch him gently in the shoulder.   
  
He gave her a slow smile, shrugging slightly. “I respect you. Really, you’re the best. I’ve just been worried lately.”  
  
“I know what’ll distract you,” Mabel declared happily, plucking one of the romance novels off the pile on the counter. “This awesome tale of  _forbidden love_.”  
  
“Oh god no.” Dipper let his head drop back onto the counter, and listened as Mabel started to tell him the tale of two vampire billionaire’s secret affair. And if he offered any commentary, it was only in the spirit of literary criticism.

  
———————————-  
  


Dipper was uncomfortable about heading outside in the middle of the night, but he still opened the door of the Shack carefully and closed it behind him, trying to be as quiet as possible. Blinking slowly, he rubbed at his eyes and cast a look upwards. The stars were still in their places, the trees still had color, and the breeze on his skin was just cold enough to make him clutch his arms around himself.

He shivered slightly, looking around. Around the Mystery Shack, there was nothing but short grass and the trees surrounding the clearing. It was silent except for the rustling of branches. No cars, no odd lights in the sky, no strange noises.

Dipper sighed softly and closed his eyes. It was the middle of the freaking night, and he’d wandered out here on a suspicion.

He’d dreamed of a world of winter, ice everywhere on the ground. The whole world had seemed enveloped in white. He had seen the town draped in feet of purifying snow - everything frozen, and perfect, and untouchable - which suddenly dissolved, without leaving water behind, and flares of blue fire burst around the town, while the needles on all of the pine trees turned pale blue. A flash of fire on the largest tree in the landscape had made him startle, gasping and waking up.

Now, he was outside, on the porch. He’d had weird, inexplicable dreams before, but never in Gravity Falls. Whenever he’d been here, it was either nightmares, or nothing. And knowing who was in control of this kind of thing, Dipper was certain what was happening.

Bill wanted his attention.

He wanted to draw Dipper out, but for what he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t predict what Bill was up to,  _ever_ , even after thwarting him for years. Dipper was uncertain, and it was chilly out here. Dream demons obviously weren’t into clear signals, but he wished that at least this once, Bill could actually-

“Pine Tree! You look uncomfortable. That’s cute.” The words were accompanied by a burst of warm air that made his shoulders slump involuntarily. It felt like a small fire had just lit behind him, and the warmth relaxed him for a moment.

Dipper cleared his throat, straightening his back. “Cipher,” He said, cooly, even as the demon draped his arms over Dipper’s shoulders. His gloved fingers played with Dipper’s shirt collar. It tickled, in a pleasant way, and he shifted a little under the touch. “What. Is. Happening.” Dipper said, enunciating the words slowly, trying not to grit his teeth.

“You got my message,” Bill declared, sounding pleased. “So. You’re clever enough, but I’ll clarify just in case.” He cleared his throat dramatically, lifting a hand and clasping it around Dipper’s neck. “Don’t ever leave the Shack without me around.” His voice lowered slightly, flat and serious.  
  
Dipper straightened up, feeling the back of his head bump against Bill’s chin. Who the hell did he think he was? “What? I’m not going to do that.”  
  
He ducked his head slightly as Bill dropped himself down, neck resting on the top of his head as Bill’s chin tapped against his forehead. “You should listen to me, kid, I know what’s going on.”  
  
Dipper took a slow breath in, then breathed out, shuffling under Bill’s grasp and tossing his arms away forcefully. “Did you ever think  _I_  might like to know what’s going on?”   
  
“Sure! But I don’t care.” Bill stated. One of his hands started trailing down the front of Dipper’s shirt. He slapped it away, suddenly angry.

“What the hell are you after anyway?” The words burst out of him, and he threw his arms out, straightening up and storming a few steps away from Bill. He heard the demon chuckle behind him and made a low, frustrated noise, grasping at his head.

“Listen,” Dipper insisted, whirling on Bill. “You know I love mysteries, but this is one I don’t have the answer to.  _Or_ the time to figure it out. If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll go to someone else for answers,” He narrowed his eyes. “You think they won’t tell me what I want to know? Because I’ll give them  _whatever_  they-”  
  
“ _Don’t._ ”

Dipper tensed, staring at Bill. The demon floated across from him, eye red with fury, clenching his cane tightly at the top with both hands. He could almost feel the energy radiating off Bill, like little claws scratching over him.

He steeled himself, straightening up and closing his eyes. He couldn’t back down now. “Either tell me what you- what demons would want from me, or I’ll sign the next contract I get.”

Several moments passed, then, surprisingly, Bill made a small, disappointed noise, and Dipper heard his shoes clack down onto the wood porch of the Shack. “You’re really no fun sometimes, Pine Tree.” Bill grumbled, and Dipper felt a palm run down the side of his neck, thumb brushing against his pulse. He peeked one eye open.  
  
Bill looked annoyed, his eternal smile missing from his face for once. The hand on Dipper’s neck tightened, just slightly, then relaxed before the human could even flinch. His eye flickered up to meet Dipper’s gaze, then trailed down him slowly, corners of his mouth turning down. “I don’t give out secrets for nothing,” Bill’s eye narrowed. “What can you offer me?”

Dipper gaped and shut his mouth just as quickly, looking around him. He really didn’t have much he was willing to part with. Except. But that was probably worthless.

Although last time had worked out well -

“If you tell me what demons would want from me,” Dipper said slowly, staring at the ground, shuffling his feet and feeling his face heat up. “I- We can do that- you know, what we did earlier, before Wendy interrupted us.”

There was a slight pause, then Bill burst out laughing. Dipper cringed, covered his face with both hands, and hoped the ground would somehow swallow him up.

What had he been thinking? That was the dumbest offer, why would a demon be interested in making out? They didn’t do that kind of thing. Bill had just been tempting him.

He was an idiot, and offering something so self-serving had been his worst idea. The last of Bill’s laughter trickled away, and Dipper groaned softly into his palms. He needed to get over this feeling. He needed to stop thinking about Bill entirely. But if Bill was serious about not letting him wander around without him, that sure as hell wasn’t going to help. And he had a definite feeling that he wouldn’t be able to prevent Bill from tagging along, no matter what precautions he took.

Dipper cast a look back at the door to the Mystery Shack, then ducked his chin again, rubbing a hand over his face in an attempt to ward away his blush.

There was another slow laugh. “Tell you what, kid, I’ll let you know what the  _others_  want,” Bill chuckled, tapping his cane under Dipper’s chin, lifting his head. Dipper looked up carefully, hesitating to meet Bill’s eyes. His grin had reappeared, and as he watched it slowly spread across his face until it was unnaturally wide. “But not what _I_  want. If those terms are acceptable,” Bill’s eye flickered with blue light, tongue running over his sharp teeth. “Then payment is up front.”

Dipper’s heart lurched in his chest, blood racing. “That sounds, um,” He cleared his throat, and hesitated. “That sounds sort of… reasonable.” He glanced at Bill’s teeth. They were different than before, a less human-seeming set, and it made him stare. They weren’t as sharp or serrated as shark’s teeth, but were still triangular, edged, and lethal. The teeth were only slightly more worrying than what this bargain might mean.

He curled his tongue around itself, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time he _had_  a tongue, then leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Bill’s lips.

Bill leaned in and deepened the kiss easily, so smoothly that Dipper half-opened his mouth in sheer surprise. In a short span of time, Bill had clearly done his research, or been able to practice. The second thought sent a shot of annoyance into Dipper, and spurred him on, making him wrap his arms around Bill’s waist and yank him closer. Bill made a small noise of surprise, back stiffening, and jumped, pulling away and actually floating again as Dipper’s hands found their way down the back of his pants.  
  
Blinking rapidly, Dipper watched Bill’s expression change from surprise to something neutral, cheeks tinting pink. It was amazing, really, how unused to flesh Bill was, and it was endlessly fascinating. Bill’s eye flashed, and he pulled Dipper’s shirt up, and for a moment they struggled with it, before it got tossed away over to the side. They kissed again, Bill pressing in close, hands starting to wander over the human’s chest.

  
They stood like that for several moments before Dipper remembered. “No, no, wait,” He cleared his throat, pushing Bill away slightly. “You said you’d tell me what the other demons want.” This couldn’t go further, he wasn’t going to cross the line he’d drawn for himself. He looked up seriously, and to his surprise, Bill grinned again.

“Of course. Let me show you.” Hot breath puffed over Dipper’s cheek as Bill leaned in, tongue running slowly down his neck, wet and slick. And he bit into the boy’s shoulder, hard, teeth sinking into the flesh.

Dipper shouted, grabbing at Bill’s hair and neck, jerking away but stopping almost immediately. Trying to pull away only dug Bill’s fangs in further. Bill hummed quietly, and with a couple of short, painful whimpers, Dipper held still. This wasn’t the tantalizing pain of little nips to the skin. It was torn flesh, and pressure on his collarbone, and the nauseating sense of skin separating from muscle. It was overwhelming, it left stars in his vision. Warm trickles of blood trailed down his chest and upper arm.

Bill let him go after a few agonizing seconds. Dipper tried to breathe during the sudden reprieve, but it was hard to see anything. The pain made his vision blurry and indistinct. He tried to pull away, but the demon grabbed his bleeding shoulder with one hand, and suddenly everything was blue flames.   
  
The pain stopped immediately.

It was so surprising that he couldn’t do anything but stand there, blinking like he’d just walked out from a dark room into sunlight.  
  
Bill left his hand on Dipper’s shoulder, still lit with blue flame. Dipper stood frozen for a moment, then relaxed. The fire wasn’t burning him, though it did tickle a little. And when he glanced at his shoulder out of the corner of his eye, the flesh had almost completely knitted itself back together.

The flames went out, and Bill’s fingers tapped on him lightly, almost as if he were checking his handiwork.

Staring at his shoulder, Dipper rubbed it slowly. Where the blood that had streamed down his chest and shoulder, it had burned into ash, leaving black marks on him, but they wiped away easily. What amazed him was that his skin looked like it had never been broken. There was no sign that Bill had almost gnawed a chunk out of him.

He looked up.

Bill’s lips and chin were wet and red, his eye glowing a soft blue. The demon licked around his mouth slowly, with a tongue that was far longer than a human’s, cleaning his face. His brows were furrowed, mouth set in a way that suggested he was annoyed.

“Definitely not my favorite way to get power,” Bill murmured, licking one last spot of red from the corner of his mouth. “It’s just so… fluid-y.” He took his hand off Dipper’s shoulder, sticking his tongue out and frowning. He licked his fingers carefully, cleaning off his gloves, and sighed.

Dipper coughed a little, then cleared his throat. “What the hell was that?” He asked roughly, shaking his head. He felt dizzy.  
  
“Exactly what you asked for, kid. You wanted to know what other demons would want from you,” Bill sounded surprised, leaning in and flicking Dipper’s nose with one hand. “They want your blood.” He shrugged, and his mouth moved in a way that suggested he was trying to get rid of an unpleasant taste.

Shaking his head, Dipper stared. “But you just- you just took a whole  _bunch_ of my blood, why-”  
  
Bill gave him a frank look. “I didn’t say I  _couldn’t_ use it. I’m a versatile guy. I just don’t want it. I don’t see a reason to work with something so,” There was a brief pause as he considered his words. “So  _tacky_.”  
  
Rubbing his shoulder, Dipper took a deep breath and sat down, draping his legs over the edge of the porch. “Okay. So. What was the point of that?”

“If you wanna make a deal with inferior demons, that’s what you’re in for,” Bill lifted his chin, sneering just a little. “You wanna be bled for the rest of your life, feel free. They won’t spend the power to heal you after.” He straightened up, giving Dipper a smug look. His eye glowed gold, bright and enthusiastic. “The mind’s the real realm of power, kid. Don’t forget it. I’ve got the secrets of the universe. What do they have? Physical realm stuff. Boooooring.” He drew the word out, leaning backwards and rolling his eye.

“Yeah, obviously,” Dipper agreed. He was mostly worried about something being after his  _blood_ , which was about as physical as things got. But it cost nothing to flatter Bill. That, and keeping him happy made Dipper’s life a whole lot easier. “But why-”  
  
He didn’t get to finish his question, as Bill leaned in and kissed him again, unnaturally long tongue darting into his mouth. Dipper jumped back, startled. “What?”  
  
“You still haven’t paid me fully.” Bill clasped the back of his neck, reeling him in and pulling their mouths together. Dipper squirmed, then flinched as Bill’s tongue delved deep enough that he almost gagged. He bit down gently, and the kiss turned into something more human, Bill’s tongue retreating and his hands running over Dipper’s back, both astonishingly pleasant. When he had a normal human tongue, Bill was gentler than Dipper would have expected. But his hands roved over Dipper’s body, tight and possessive, making him squirm under the demon’s grip.

Still, as far as demonic deals went, this could have been worse. Dipper wasn’t enslaved, or soulless, or a puppet. Bill was clearly fascinated by human sensation - give him a little pain or a little pleasure, and he could be distracted for hours. He seemed content enough with kissing, so  _other_ things didn’t have to be brought to the table. For all that he’d offered it, Bill probably had no idea how to handle that kind of thing, anyway. He would be- there were so many ways Bill could respond, and all of them made Dipper feel hot, embarrassed, and excited.

Dipper mentally filed that away for later, fingers digging into Bill’s sides. He was already making plans. Absurd, never-going-to-happen plans. But, well, it never hurt to be prepared.  

One of Bill’s hands slid up his back, the demon’s teeth nipping gently at his lips. He drew the other down Dipper’s thighs, thumb briefly trailing near- Dipper shuddered, and his thoughts melted away as he grabbed Bill by the back of the neck and kissed him hard, exploring his mouth and resisting the urge to pull their hips together.

Dipper stood on the porch of the Mystery Shack, leaning into the arms of a demon, making out with him like he was in a goddamn awful romance novel, and he wondered how in the hell his life had gotten to this point. 


	7. Chapter 7

Dipper took in a deep breath. Then another one. He held it for a moment, then released it slowly, shifting the arm away from his neck for the seventh time. He wasn’t quite angry enough to have another argument, but he was getting close.

He walked through the woods, flipping through the pages of his temporary replacement journal, and Bill Cipher drifted along behind him, one demonic arm wrapped around his side, the other ostensibly resting on Dipper’s shoulder. Bill kept trying to move it around his neck. And there was no way in hell Dipper was going to let the demon get a good grip on his throat.

Bill was wearing the ridiculous sweater Mabel had made for him over his suit, and between that, the top hat, bowtie, and how Bill was trailing behind him, Dipper thought he should feel embarrassed about his hanger-on. In the meantime, Bill drifted behind him like the world’s most absurd cape.

He didn’t feel embarrassed. Mostly, he felt annoyed.

“I’m telling you, kid, this is pointless,” Bill said, pulling himself closer and pressing his cheek against Dipper’s ear. “Some humans have unusual tastes. They want weird things! And that’s exactly what you’re going to find out when we get there.”

Dipper resisted the urge to punch his hanger-on. If it weren’t for- if Bill wasn’t-

He hoped that whatever these demons were fighting over ended soon, because he wanted to banish Bill every single time he referred to them as ‘we’. As if they were partners or something. As if he  _wanted_  to have a demonic companion whenever he tried to solve supernatural problems.

If Bill had been helpful, that would be one thing. It could be amazing, thrilling even! A being with almost infinite knowledge, helping Dipper out with the weirdness of Gravity Falls? He’d have lept at the opportunity, any time, day or night.

But Bill had been following him whenever he left the Mystery Shack for a few days now, and he was the worst.

Mostly, he made fun of Dipper, mocking him every step of the way. Dipper had learned quickly not to ask Bill anything - he tended to hint at things, giving Dipper information that turned out to be either misleading or outright false, and laughing when things ended badly.

And when Bill wasn’t taunting Dipper, he was pushing for more ‘mouth battles’.

The thought made Dipper’s face redden, hot embarrassment running down from his face and into his shoulders and chest. “I don’t care what you think,” He shook his head, pushing his personal demon away. “There’s a missing woman, the gnomes are probably responsible, and they’re  _creepy_. I have to check it out.”

“You’re not one to judge,” Bill said, amused and floating along behind him. “Like you don’t have unusual interests yourself.”

Dipper ran his hands over his face, groaning. “Please just shut up for, like, five minutes.” Bill chuckled quietly, and bit Dipper’s neck.

Dipper spluttered and yanked Bill off of him, shoving him away. Bill drifted away from him slowly, frowning. “I already told you, no.  _None_  of that is happening. What we did the other day was just- payment. That’s all.”

“Whatever, kid,” Bill sighed heavily, dropping to the ground and following Dipper as he walked. “One of these days you’re gonna understand I’m right about everything, since you still have weird ideas about the supernatural. We don’t work like you humans do,” He paused, tapping his chin. “And hey! You’re not so great about understanding other humans, either. C’mon, even  _you_  should have noticed that by now.”

There was no way he could answer that that wouldn’t give Bill another way to snipe at him, so Dipper said nothing, and kept walking into gnome territory. He’d been around Bill too long to truly believe his omniscient schtick. The demon was just trying to needle him, or brag.

How could he be sure about any of this? He didn’t really understand humans, for all that he talked a big game.

Which made it… somewhat upsetting, when he reached the main home of the gnomes, a hollowed out redwood that served as their gathering place, and smelled chocolate chip cookies baking somewhere. Dipper’s shoulders slumped, even as he heard Bill chuckling behind him.

“Look,” Dipper said, taking a deep breath. “Just- go do whatever it was you were thinking of doing,” The closer they’d gotten to this place, the more gnomes had circled around them, though they still gave them a wide berth. Bill had kept his eye on their watchers, twirling his cane idly. It’d kept them from swarming Dipper, which was nice, but he also knew Bill had something violent in mind.

“I don’t care if you smack them around a little. They’re jerks.” Dipper added. He’d never forgotten that first encounter with the little bastards. After what they tried with Mabel, who  _wouldn’t_  hold a grudge?  
  
“So generous,” Bill said sarcastically, but clearly amused. He rubbed his hands together, and the gnomes scattered. “You go do human things, Pine Tree,” He waved a hand dismissively. “Chat with the other mortal. I’ll be around.”

Watching Bill dart off in a gold blur after several dozen terrified gnomes was… honestly? Way more satisfying than he’d thought it would be. Dipper caught himself smirking, then immediately frowned.

This was serious.

He stomped forward, feeling determined and righteous, and slowed down as he ducked into the small opening in the base of the tree.

Okay, so a kidnapped woman probably wouldn’t be humming happily to herself, or making cookies. Or smiling at him as she stepped out of the wooden archway that led to the kitchen. Dipper blinked for a moment. The woman, plump, middle aged, and grinning, slipped an oven mitt off her hand and waved.

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting a visitor!” She waved at him happily, then made a beckoning motion. “It’s been awhile since another human has been out here. Come on, have some cookies before the boys get back.”

Dipper nodded solemnly. After all, this was serious business, and followed her into the kitchen. He pointedly didn’t mention that her ‘boys’ probably were going to be chased around the woods, and  _maybe_  set on fire a little, before they got back.

The woman’s name was Patience, she was a new visitor to Gravity Falls as of three months ago, was new to the supernatural world. And she was here entirely of her own free will - and after the first few questions to really make sure this was okay, Dipper didn’t press any further. Her smirking made him uncomfortable.

She also made a pretty good cup of tea, and hey, Dipper wasn’t about to pass up on decent baking. Neither Mabel or Stan had ever been good cooks, and he was too busy to learn.

They had some pleasant conversation with each other, which, in a weird way, annoyed Dipper. Because the longer they spoke, the clearer it was that Bill had been  _right_ , and he was going to be insufferable about it later. Dipper crammed another cookie into his mouth, and frowned.

“But you’ve noticed things have been weird lately, right?” Dipper leaned forward, licking crumbs from his lips, then taking a sip of tea. “It’s not supposed to be this cold during summer-” As long as he had another person to talk to, he might as well ask a few questions. “Have your, uh. Boys. Told you anything about it?”

She frowned, just gently, running her index finger over the edge of her teacup. “Only that everyone needs to keep their head down for a while,” Her lips pursed. “There are some bad things around right now.”

Dipper leaned in. Bill was the worst source of information, he’d never tell Dipper anything if he could avoid it. This was the best resource he’d found. “How many? Did they say how many?”

Patience blinked in confusion. “I heard, um, at least four weird… names? They might have been names, anyway. But there were a lot of different words being thrown around-.”

Four. At minimum.

 _Please_ , Dipper thought, as he carefully set down his cup. Let it only be that many. He’d thought two was bad, but double that? Maybe more? And those imps, what else would be swarming around? Scavengers would gather, scouring over the the scraps left behind, once the big demons tore their targets apart.

The fact that he’d seen so little was almost certainly due to Bill's intervention. What would happen if Bill decided not to stop them?

What would happen if Bill couldn’t stop them?

Dipper felt cold, and he stood up. He moved to lift up his teacup, but it was hot, and his hand was chilly. Best not to touch it. Patience gave him an odd look, but he stared at the table in front of them.

Bill  _couldn’t_ stop them. Not forever. Dipper might as well accept it.

He stepped away from the kitchen table without really seeing anything, walking out the archway and ducking out the redwood door. Behind him he heard someone calling out to him, and he shook his head slowly, walking off into the trees.

Off in the corner of his eye, he thought he might have seen Bill tapping a curled up gnome through a little arch with his cane. Gnome croquet, Dipper thought distantly, turning away and walking through the woods. Sounded like something Bill would do.

His feet stumbled a little, and dragged, and didn’t quite work the way he wanted.

That was odd. He tried to take another step forward - why wouldn’t he? He had to keep going-

Where was he going?

Dipper stared down at the ground as his feet shuffled forward, leaving twin trails in the pine needles beneath his feet. He stumbled to a stop. Then started again.

Something caught him by the shoulders as he stepped forward, and he ignored it. He had to keep moving- Why did he have to-?

He shrugged off the interfering hands, and stormed forwards into the trees with more purpose. There was something he had to do, he knew it.

A glimmer in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

There was something glittering up ahead - something new, something mysterious- Dipper stumbled forward. The shining spikes and angles in front of him were something he’d never seen before. They glimmered in all kinds of colors, light shimmering in beautiful shades around it.

He needed to find out what this was.

He approached the shining figure slowly - there was a… hand? It lifted one pointed, sharp claw upwards.

Dipper  _had_ to touch it.

He didn’t.

His index finger hovered over the razor point of the glittering claw, and for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to- but it was the obvious thing to do! Why wouldn’t he? Didn't he want to find out what was _really_ going on? 

This wasn’t… right? It was too… where had he seen this kind of thing before?

The shimmering, icicle form in front of him hissed quietly. Dipper glanced over the thing before him, and something cracked inside his thoughts.

He jerked back violently, because what the _fuck._

Bipedal, androgynous, and behind a vaguely human-shaped body and face, it was basically coated in icicle _razorblades_ , what had he been  _thinking_ , coming anywhere near this thing?

He stumbled back quickly enough that he fell, tumbling backwards. It stepped towards him rapidly, and even seemed to grow sharper, orderly fractals of ice spreading over its upper arms like snowflakes.

His eyes widened. He knew what this was.

“BILL!” He shouted, backing up on his hands and feet, and at his shout, the thing paused. It even took one hesitant step back. “Need a little help here!”

Fire burst in a line over the ground, spreading between him and the frost demon in an instant, and with a hiss that may have either been irritation or steam, the thing vanished. It left Dipper hunched over and trembling, fire burning in front of him. He clutched his arms around himself.

Okay. Clearly he wasn’t as great at defending himself from compulsions as he thought.

Even though there was a freaking bonfire of blue flame in front of him, he still felt cold inside, and a little urge trembled in him that told him to reach out and  _bleed_. That had been  _way_  too close, and invasive.

He felt sick.

Footsteps sounded behind him, more than one set. There was a soft cooing noise - definitely not Bill - and Patience draped a soft blanket over his shoulders. Bill, meanwhile, cursed to himself in a language Dipper didn’t know, then made a face at the ground where the ice demon last stood, flipping it off.

“You,” Bill said, pointing at the gnome-wife. “Did your job. Now fuck off,” She practically ran away, but not before patting Dipper gently and handing him another cookie. Dipper shoved it into his mouth, holding it there. He wasn’t hungry, but it tasted nice.

“You know, if that mortal hadn’t told me you’d run off, you’d be in deep shit right now, kid.” Bill continued, pacing in front of Dipper. Then he stole the cookie from Dipper’s mouth, biting into it viciously, and paused. “Hey, these are pretty good.”

“Fuck you,” Dipper said, without much feeling, clutching the blanket around himself. The air around him was warm against his skin, and he shivered. He was shaded by the trees, and the wind was mild, but even the cool shade felt as hot as standing in the sun in the middle of summer. He let out a slow breath, watching the steam rise in the air. And he realized that even _that_ was cold. While the air might have felt warm, the ground beneath him was like a furnace.

How cold _was_ he? How was he not dead?

Bill glared again, and continued pacing. “You know, I’m beginning to wonder, kid, if you’re really worth the effort,” Bill said slowly. Dipper didn’t look up at him, hunching over. “You’re a prize, don’t get me wrong! But you’re too easy to capture, if that piece of work can nearly get you.” His eye narrowed. “What the fuck, Pine Tree.”

Dipper shivered a little more. “I’m not immune to mind tricks, Bill. I’m only human,” He shrugged. “You should be happy I even  _remembered_  you. And then I  _called_  for you, that means something.” Bill glared, annoyed. “Would you have even gotten here in time if I hadn’t resisted?”

There was just enough of a pause to let Dipper know he was right. He managed a slight smirk, before the cold in him made him shake hard, clutching the blanket more.

“It’s still annoying,” Bill grumbled, then he frowned, and started pacing some more. “I don’t need this. Nobody needs this.”

Which was cryptic enough that even the chill inside him hadn't been able to make Dipper freeze like this. “I-” 

“No, don’t start with me, Pine Tree,” Bill interrupted, standing in front of him, fists braced on his hips. “You’re stubborn, I get that. I knew you wouldn’t stay in the Shack while this went down,” He kicked Dipper in the shin, making him flinch. “And I can respect that! I’d disobey that kind of order too! Then, I thought, hey, I can follow the kid, but apparently that doesn’t work,” Bill sneered, looking Dipper up and down. “What do I need to do? Put a leash on you?”

That… was insulting as hell. “ _You_ were the one who ran off,” Sitting up straight, he faced Bill fully. “ _I_  got my fucking brain toyed with, because you wanted to play a game!”

Bill let out a derisive sound, turning away and crossing his arms. But after being around the demon for so long, Dipper knew he’d won this small battle.

“They were insulting you, by the way. The way they tried it,” Dipper said. Bill looked at at him suddenly. Dipper held out his index finger. “I guess it was because you’re a dream demon, and you’re supposed to own me, and so on,” It was embarrassing to admit, but- “They were doing this whole, uh, Sleeping Beauty thing. One prick of the finger on their claw, and then…” He shrugged. “I guess then they’d do whatever else they wanted with me.”

It was absolutely worth the embarrassment, just to see Bill’s hackles rise. As Bill’s fists clenched, and his eye turned red, Dipper gave himself a mental high five.

Selfishness, and pride. Those werethe key to handling demons. He was definitely going to write a Journal about this. If he survived.

“That fucker,” Bill hissed, furious, the grass under his feet flickering with tiny bits of fire. “Nobody insults me like that.  _Ever_.”

Dipper watched Bill fume quietly to himself for a while, before standing up, clutching the blanket around himself. Bill seemed fine, sweater-clad and furious, but it was still damned cold around here. “And,” He said, “I’ll help you.”  
  
That made Bill stop where he stood. He looked at Dipper carefully. “Doesn’t really sound like your style, Pine Tree.”

“Maybe I don’t like being  _used_ ,” Dipper insisted. Bill nodded at that, slowly. “And it doesn’t come for free.”

Bill grinned. “So you’ve-”

“Finally understood I need something to keep people from  _messing with my head_ ,” Dipper interrupted. “That’s your domain, right? You can do something about it?”

Bill gave him a considering look, then made a dismissive gesture, scoffing to himself. “Generally I don’t  _stop_ that kind of thing, kid.”

“There are three other demons that I know about. You’re great,” Dipper added, because not flattering Bill’s ego would probably have bad results. “But you’re not perfect. You can make things easier on yourself. You won’t have to keep as much of an eye on me,” He shrugged, tucking more of the blanket around himself. “And if we do this, you know I won’t thwart you,” He paused, hesitating. “Until this is over. Then, all bets are off.”

They stared at each other, Bill's expression blank, Dipper trying to keep up a confident look, even as he shivered. His palms started to sweat, and he clenched his hands in the blanket draped over his shoulders.

Bill looked away, lip curling upward in contempt. “I don’t think it’s necessary, kid. Just stay in the Shack for, oh,” He hummed briefly. “A year or so, maybe. Or always.”

Fuck that.

Nobody was going to manipulate Dipper like that, ever again. Bill Cipher was a demon of the mind, he hated other demons, and another one of his kind had messed with Dipper’s head. It was all there for him to use, if he dared. And no way in  _hell_ was he going to just stand by idly and let this happen.

Dipper stepped forward, resting a hand on Bill’s shoulder.

“You know I’m not gonna stay inside for the rest of my life. You  _know_ me. So, what you’re saying is,” Dipper said slowly, and he quirked an eyebrow upward. “You’re scared you can’t stop them?” He patted Bill’s shoulder, as condescendingly as he possibly could. “That’s alright. I know you’re not  _actually_   infinitely powerful.”

Bill turned to stare at him with deliberate slowness, meeting the human’s eyes. Dipper smiled, trying to ignore the fear slowly growing inside him.  _Please_   let this work.

After a long moment, Bill cocked his head to one side. “I see what you’re doing here, Pine Tree,” Bill smiled - and it was a genuine smile, not his usual smirk - “It’s kind of cute how you’re learning manipulation." 

Dipper froze in surprise, heart thudding in his chest.

Then Bill frowned, and sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay, okay,” He grumbled, “Hell, kid, I knew I liked you for a reason. And like I said! You’re not entirely useless! If it makes my life easier, sure,” Bill’s hand blazed into blue fire. “Protection for your mind, in exchange for-”

Dipper slapped Bill’s hand away immediately, the flames vanishing. “No. Deals,” He said forcefully. “We’re not bringing any magic contracts into this, because I know you’ll screw me-” Bill started smirking. “ _Over_! Over! And don’t bring that into this either!” Dipper shouted, blushing and clutching his hands to his head. Since when did Bill understand innuendo? “Just… help me keep that creep out of my mind, and if you need something human or physical,” He cleared his throat. “I’ll try to help you with it. If I can.”

Bill sighed. “Fine, fine,” He said slowly, looking away. “I suppose-”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Bill, let’s just do this.”

Bill rolled his eye, and reached upwards-

And stopped, making a sad, complaining noise. “You’re sure you can’t just-” Bill waved a hand vaguely. “Devote your soul to me for eternity? It’d be so much easier!”

“Absolutely  _not_.”

Bill pouted at him, and the look was so ridiculous that Dipper couldn’t help but laugh. It made him feel warmer, and he threw the blanket at Bill, enjoying the way the demon swatted at it. Which wasn't so entertaining moments later. He cringed. and wondered if he should get a replacement for Patience as the cloth burned away into blue-flickering ashes.

Taking a deep breath, Bill’s face scrunched up, and he stepped closer to Dipper. “I don’t have a lot of ways to do this without being there in person, but you’ve got a point about not having to keep an eye on you all the time,” He grimaced, shifting uncomfortably. “So this’ll have to do. For a while,” He insisted, meeting Dipper's eyes seriously, mouth firmed into a thin line. “You don’t get to keep this forever. Or damage it. Or stain it. Or-” Sighing, Bill reached up, and took off his hat. “Just- ugh. Just… take it before I change my mind.” He held it out at arm's length, covering his eye with his other hand, and turned away.

Dipper stared. “Why are you-”  
  
“Just. Take. It,” Bill said, teeth gritted. “No obligation, let, or lien involved.”

Dipper started, and took it without hesitation, suddenly understanding. Because if this incurred a debt, it wouldn’t count as a ‘freely-given’ thing.

Which was, as he’d learned during his research, was much,  _much_ more powerful for magical purposes than something coerced, or bargained for. No wonder Bill went to bother Mabel for his frost protection - a gift was dozens of times more powerful than any conjuration, and she was a generous enough person to hand it over without any contract. Which she had.

And it was probably the reason they weren’t all frozen statues by now.

He gripped the brim of Bill’s hat gently, and felt his face heat up. Sure, this would be the most efficient way for Bill to protect Dipper’s mind, given the terms of their agreement. But it was still his  _hat_. Bill  _loved_ his hat.

And in an instant, Dipper realized why giving things away gave them so much power. What really surprised him was that Bill freaking Cipher just did it for  _him_.

He cleared his throat, feeling awkward, and gently clasped Bill’s hat to himself. “I’d thank you, but you’d probably kill me for it, so- uh,” Trying to flatter a demon was so different from talking to a human, it always took him a moment. “I’m sure you’ll shatter the bastard and use them for ice cubes,” He tried to smile. “We could have a drink afterwards.”

Bill had been slumped over, sulking just slightly, but Dipper’s words made him perk up. He straightened his tie, and ran a hand through his hair. “Kid, you’re such a square that for you, that’s one indecent suggestion,” He grinned. “I like it.”

Dipper fumbled with his own hat, not sure what to do with it. And, on an impulse, he took it off and held it out. “Uh, you can hold onto this too, I guess. Just for a while.” He was  _not_ going to do the two hats at once thing again. The demon grinned wider. He snatched Dipper’s hat from his hands, and tucked it away somewhere so fast that Dipper couldn’t even see where he’d stored it. Maybe somewhere in the Mindscape, for all he knew.

Then, hell, since it was clearly what Bill wanted - he put Bill’s hat on. He felt absolutely ridiculous, but Bill was grinning as widely as he’d ever seen, eye wide and bright.

“Uh, I don’t think the gnomes are going to attack me now, and if this really works-”

“It will.”

“Then… I guess I’ll see you later?”

Bill raised a brow, then tapped his lower lip with one finger. Dipper stared for a moment, then cursed softly under his breath. “Seriously?” He asked, though he took a step closer.

“Gonna be pretty busy, kid, until you attempt to fight me. Which you’ll lose, by the way, but still!” Bill wiggled his eyebrows at him. “What can it hurt?”

Dipper facepalmed - but sure, it couldn’t hurt anything. Why the hell not.

This time the kiss was oddly gentle, Bill’s hand cupping the back of Dipper’s neck, and only lasting a few seconds. Then the demon pulled away, stretching and looking around himself.

“See you later! By the way, Pine Tree,” Bill added, hovering up off the ground again, running his hand through his hair and frowning a little. He apparently missed his hat already. “I’d really suggest talking to Red in the meantime.”

“Wait, what?” Dipper asked, but Bill had already vanished.

Talk to Wendy? Why would he need to- He thought about it, and froze. Son of a _bitch_. Immediately, Dipper started running towards the Mystery Shack. 

He thought he’d made a good deal, but apparently no matter what bargain you made, Bill Cipher was a total asshole. Dipper had only protected himself from  _mental_ attacks.

The physical ones would still be present, like the imp from earlier. Only now, he’d given Bill free license to concentrate on his  _real_ enemies, and the smaller creatures wouldn’t be a priority any longer.

He gave a groan, slapping himself in the face. The worst part was that Bill probably hadn’t even meant it maliciously, he just didn’t consider them much of a threat. Because he didn’t understand that oh, yeah, humans couldn’t set things on fire with their minds.

At least he knew enough to warn Dipper, a little. And, huffing for breath as he ran back to the Shack, he was somewhat relieved that Bill had suggested it.

Dipper smiled weakly. He might be in a lot of trouble, but things could be worse. Wendy was damned good with an axe, and she knew there was trouble. She was also a great friend, and  _exactly_ the kind of person who could teach him how to hack things to pieces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it continues! Thanks so much for reading this much of this fic.


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